Pilot killed in fighter jet crash identified

The National Transportation Safety Board continues to investigate the scene of a fatal fighter jet crash Monday that tore through a northeast Las Vegas neighborhood, leaving debris in the yards of several homes.

The Draken US aircraft, a Dassault Aviation Mirage F-1 fighter jet, went down for unknown reasons in a residential area just south of Nellis Air Force Base shortly before 2:30 p.m. Monday, killing the pilot.

He was identified Tuesday by the Clark County coroner’s office as Nicholas Hunter Hamilton, 43, of Las Vegas. He died of blunt force injuries, the office said, and his death was ruled an accident. Hamilton was the only person on board, Nellis said in a news release.

Attempts to reach Hamilton’s family Tuesday were unsuccessful. A request for more information on Hamilton’s history with Draken US was not immediately returned.

Jose Villanueva, who lives in one of the homes where the jet crashed, said he could not sleep Monday night because he kept hearing the sound of a bomb in his backyard.

“It’s still like a nightmare what happened,” he said Tuesday afternoon.

Villanueva said no one in his 2245 N. Christy Lane home was injured in the crash, which he knows very little about. He was not allowed to leave his home Tuesday — neither to attend work nor properly assess the damage to his backyard, which he said was still filled with investigators as they continue to process the scene.

Eric Weiss, a spokesman for the transportation safety agency, said Tuesday that investigators expect to issue a preliminary report on the crash in roughly two weeks.

“On scene work could take 2-5 days,” Weiss said in an email, adding that “the full investigation, with probable cause, can take 1 to 2 years to complete.”

On impact near East Lake Mead and North Nellis boulevards, the jet crash caused a brief, intense fire that sent black smoke billowing into the air Monday afternoon. The crash site remained closed off by Las Vegas police early Tuesday.

Draken US is a Florida-based company that has been contracted since 2015 to provide “adversary air support” for the U.S. Air Force out of Nellis, according to the Nellis release and the company’s website. Draken US in a statement Monday evening acknowledged the death of its pilot, calling it a “tragic accident.”

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people and families affected by this event,” the statement read. “We are doing everything in our power to assist them in this time of need, and we are working closely with federal, state and local authorities.”

In the Nellis news release, base officials wrote: “The men and women of Team Nellis send our deepest condolences to the teammates, friends and family of our Draken wingman.”

Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Sabrina Schnur contributed to this report.