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Published July 02, 2011, 07:11 AM

Pilot who died was experienced

Air Force officials say a military pilot who died in a jet crash in the Nevada desert this week during a training exercise was an experienced pilot with more than 1,200 flight hours.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Air Force officials say a military pilot who died in a jet crash in the Nevada desert this week during a training exercise was an experienced pilot with more than 1,200 flight hours.

Brig. Gen. T.J. O’Shaughnessy said Friday that 30-year-old Capt. Eric Ziegler was an operational test and evaluation instructor pilot with the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base.

Nellis will hold a private memorial service Tuesday.

Ziegler was a native of West Fargo, N.D. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2003 and earned a master’s degree in 2010.

He recently was selected to attend the elite U.S. Air Force Weapons School.

In a statement, Ziegler’s family called him a “true son of the United States.”

The Tuesday crash is under investigation.

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