U.S. Air Force Jet Crashes In California Desert

March 25, 2009 6:31 p.m. EST

Los Angeles, CA (AHN) - A U.S. Air Force fighter jet crashed in Southern California's high desert Wednesday and the fate of the pilot is unknown, according to the Pentagon.

The single-seat F-22 Raptor assigned to the 411th Flight Test Squadron of Edwards Air Force Base's 412th Test Wing was on a test mission when it crashed at 10:30 a.m. about 35 miles northeast of the base at a location six miles north of Harbor Dry Lakebed, Pentagon officials told the Los Angeles Times.

Rescuers have been dispatched to the crash site. The cause of the crash remains unknown.

It was the second recorded crash of an F-22, which is the most expensive fighter jet of the Air Force costing $140 million to build. A similar plane crashed in the Nevada desert in 2004 with the pilot ejecting.