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(CNN) — An F-16 fighter jet crashed Thursday into a warehouse just off March Air Reserve Base in Perris, California.
The pilot ejected before impact just off the end of the runway, Maj. Perry Covington said. The pilot was taken to a hospital to be checked out but has no major injuries, said base spokesman Reggie Varner.
Varner said the F-16 had a hydraulic failure which led to the crash. Authorities were investigating whether anyone on the ground was hurt.
The jet’s cockpit canopy was on a runway, and a parachute had settled in a nearby field.
The F-16 was on a training mission under the direction of the North American Aerospace Defense Command. The pilot is from the 144th Fighter Wing, an Air National Guard unit based in Fresno.
The base’s fire department responded to the crash along with the Riverside police and Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
Mike Johnson, the CEO of the company located in the warehouse, confirmed all employees at the warehouse are safe.
“Thank God everyone is safe and OK,” Johnson said in a statement to CNN. “We’ll have to see what this means for the company, but right now our concern is with our employees and their families.”
The warehouse is owned by See Water, Inc. The company offers products and solutions to HVAC, commercial, residential, utility and wastewater industries.
Perris is located south of San Bernardino.
