Report: Missing Air Force Pilot From Twain Harte

Twain Harte, CA — U.S. and Italian authorities have been searching the Adriatic Sea for a plane that is believed to have crashed in a training exercise.

The 31st Fighter Wing released a statement that controllers lost contact with the F-16 after it took off from Aviano Air Force Base in Italy on Monday evening. The Air Force confirms that the pilot is missing, but has not released the name. The Modesto Bee is reporting that it is Luc Gruenther of Twain Harte.

U.S. and Italian officials have reportedly located possible debris from the plane. The Associated Press reports that weather was poor at the time that the plane vanished. Visibility was limited and there was sleet and rain.

We’ll pass along more information as it becomes available.