Lack of fuel possible cause of fatal Navy training crash

RENO – A fighter pilot on a Navy training mission told air traffic controllers he was running out of fuel before he crashed and died at Fallon Naval Air Station in March.

Retired Capt. Carroll LeFon had been playing the enemy in an Israeli-built F-21 before attempting to land at the base 60 miles east of Reno.

The National Transportation Safety Board hasn’t ruled on a cause but raised the fuel issue in a preliminary report on Wednesday.

The NTSB reported LeFon abandoned two initial attempts to land at Fallon and diverted to Reno but found the same snowy and windy conditions. Headed back to Fallon, he told controllers he was in “a critical fuel state” before he maneuvered toward one runway, then another and crashed into a building.