The range allows pilots to fly over terrain that looks like Afghanistan to practice bombing runs and to strafe targets. All branches of the U.S. military, some foreign militaries and NASA train pilots there.

The most recent crash of an F-16 in Utah was March 30, 2006, when Lt. Jay Baer, of the 388th Fighter Wing's 421st Fighter Squadron, safely ejected before his plane crashed near Carrington Island in the Great Salt Lake. Baer received bumps and bruises, and his plane was destroyed on impact. A failed bearing assembly was later blamed for the malfunction that brought his plane down.

An F-16 Fighting Falcon costs $14.8 million to $18.8 million in 1998 dollars. The first operational F-16A was delivered in January 1979 to the 388th Fighter Wing. The plane is prized by the Air Force for its maneuverability, versatility and performance.

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