F-15 crashes near Rachel; pilot not injured

RACHEL - An F-15 plane crashed north of here Thursday while the pilot was leading seven other planes in a training exercise.

The pilot, Capt. Christopher Kirby, ejected and was not injured.

Kirby, who is stationed at the U.S. air base in Lakenheath, England, was participating in a training exercise when the plane crashed into a dry lake bed near Rachel, 125 miles north of Las Vegas, Nellis Air Force Base said.

Kirby was the mission commander of an eight-plane formation that took off from Nellis about 9:30 a.m. The crash occurred at 10:45 a.m.

The Air Force is investigating the crash.