An Air Force Thunderbirds pilot died in an F-16 crash

A US Air Force F-16 assigned to Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada crashed outside of Las Vegas on the morning of April 4, 2018, in the third aircraft crash in two days.

The pilot was killed in the crash, the Air Force confirmed in a statement. He was a member of the Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration squadron.

The F-16 crashed around 10:30 a.m. during a "routine aerial demonstration training flight," and the cause of the crash is under investigation, according to the Air Force statement.

On the afternoon of April 3, 2018, a Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter crashed around El Centro, California, during a routine training mission. Four crew members aboard the helicopter were killed.

Additionally, a Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier jet crashed during a training exercise in Djibouti, east Africa on April 3, 2018. The pilot ejected and was being treated at a hospital.

Congress and the military have come under scrutiny amid the spate of aircraft crashes. Military leaders have long argued for an increased budget to combat a "readiness crisis" as foreign adversaries have gained momentum in other areas of the world.

Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Steven Rudder, the Corps' deputy commandant for aviation, said in November 2017, that although pilot and aircraft readiness was steadily improving, the Corps was still dealing with the effects of "the minimum requirement for tactical proficiency."

"Newly winged aviators ... [are] the foundation of the future of aviation," a prepared statement from Rudder said, according to Military.com. "When I compare these 2017 'graduates' of their first fleet tour to the 2007 'class,' those pilots today have averaged 20% less flight hours over their three-year tour than the same group in 2007."