(CNN) The U.S. Navy announced late Saturday evening the death of a pilot who died in a plane crash during a training flight on Friday at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico.

Lt. Christopher Carey Short, from Canandaigua, New York, died June 22 when the A-29 aircraft he was piloting crashed while on a mission over the Red Rio Bombing Range, part of White Sands Missile Range, north of Holloman.

"There's no way to describe the shock of this loss and the sadness we feel for his family," said Col. Houston Cantwell, commander of Holloman's 49th Wing, in a statement on Saturday. "He did pioneering work in aviation that will help shape American air power for years to come. We're thankful to have known him and grateful for his devotion to duty."

The cause of the mishap is under investigation, according to the Navy.</s>US Navy identifies pilot killed in A-29 crash in New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a U.S. Navy pilot who died in the crash of an A-29 jet north of Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico.

Navy officials say Navy Lt. Christopher Carey Short of Canandaigua, New York was killed in Friday's crash over the Red Rio Bombing Range.

The range is part of White Sands Missile Range located about 65 miles north of Holloman.

In a statement Sunday, Navy officials say the cause of the crash remains under investigation.

The Holloman Air Force Base is about 200 miles south of Albuquerque.</s>The U.S. Navy has identified the pilot who died Friday when the aircraft he was flying crashed at an Air Force base in New Mexico.

Navy Lt. Christopher Carey Short, of Canandaigua, N.Y., was piloting the A-29 Super Tucano jet when it crashed around 11:30 a.m. local time over the Red Rio Bombing Range, part of White Sands Missile Range, just 65 miles north of Holloman Air Force Base.

Short was participating in a training flight "as a part of the Air Force’s Light Attack Experiment,” U.S. military officials said.

The Friday test was to determine whether the Air Force would select the Textron Aviation AT-6 Wolverine or the A-29 Super Tucano to make up its fleet of light attack aircrafts, Military.com reported.

"There's no way to describe the shock of this loss and the sadness we feel for his family. He did pioneering work in aviation that will help shape American air power for years to come. We're thankful to have known him and grateful for his devotion to duty."

"There's no way to describe the shock of this loss and the sadness we feel for his family," Air Force Col. Houston Cantwell, commander of Holloman's 49th Wing, said in a statement. "He did pioneering work in aviation that will help shape American air power for years to come. We're thankful to have known him and grateful for his devotion to duty."

The White Sands Missile Range Directorate of Emergency Services was the first to respond to the scene.

Another crew member suffered minor injuries and was airlifted to a local hospital. That crew member's name and specific medical condition were not immediately available.

Friday’s crash was the seventh for the Air Force this year in a non-combat situation, matching the total for all of last year.

The A-29 test aircraft was owned and operated by a contractor, an Air Force spokesman told Fox News. Military.com reported the Super Tucano was made by Sierra Nevada/Emraer.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Holloman AFB is about 217 miles south of Albuquerque.

Fox News’ Lucas Tomlinson and Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.</s>iStock/Thinkstock(OTERO COUNTY, New Mexico) — A pilot “involved in a mishap” at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico died on Friday, the Navy said.

Lt. Christopher Carey Short, from Canandaigua, New York, died in a crash involving the A-29 he was piloting, the Navy said in a statement on Saturday.

He was on a mission over the Red Rio Bombing Range, which is part of White Sands Missile Range, north of the base, the Navy said.

The incident is being investigated.</s>The United States Navy announced late Saturday the death of a pilot involved in a mishap at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico.

The pilot was identified as 32-year-old Lt. Christopher Carey Short who died when the A-29 aircraft he was piloting crashed during flight demonstrations for the Air Force's light attack experiment at 11.30 a.m. local time (12.20 pm EDT) on Friday.

The A-29 belongs to Holloman Air Force Base’s 49th Wing and the pilot was on a mission over the Red Rio Bombing Range, part of White Sands Missile Range, north of Holloman.

“We regret to report that one of the aviators involved in yesterday’s A-29 mishap in New Mexico has died. LT Christopher Short, a Naval Aviator, was the aircraft’s pilot. All of Naval Aviation mourns his loss,” fly navy Official Twitter feed for U.S. Naval Air Forces, tweeted.

The U.S. Air Force tweeted Friday there were two pilots in the A-29, and one was airlifted to a local hospital with minor injuries.

The Air Force also tweeted fire and police units from the White Sands Missile Range Directorate of Emergency Services initially responded to the report of the crash.

Officials also said ground-based military exercise near Holloman scheduled for Friday evening was cancelled.

Short’s parents were informed of his demise Friday night.

"It was two navy uniformed officers who were walking toward our house and we knew right away why they were there," Short’s father Tom Short said ABC 13 reported. “Every parents’ worst nightmare was confirmed."

Lisa Short, the pilot’s mother said, "He was just a really good man. He was a man of integrity and a man of faith. … He challenged his classmates to live for something greater than themselves and he lived for something greater than himself."

Short was commissioned in 2008 and was stationed in Virginia Beach. He was due back home after the training in July.

Megan Brown, Short's sister, said he got married in October and his wife was the “light of his life.”

“For a long time, I just always wanted to do everything he did," Brown said, adding she recalls him as a brother she always looked up to.

Brown added some of the fondest memories were from their childhood.

"Things like just playing in the backyard growing up," she said.

The crash is being investigation and no cause has been determined.

The Air Force Times reported U.S. Air Force started the light attack experiment in May and is on a second round of experiment, pitting the Super Tucano against Textron Aviation’s AT-6 Wolverine.

The experiment is being conducted to decide whether to start buying a few light attack planes, which are cheaper than the fourth- and fifth-generation fighters now used.</s>On Friday, June 22nd, 2018, an A-29 Super Tucano light attack plane crashed on the Red Rio Bombing and Gunnery Range located north of Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. The USAF's second phase of the Light Attack Experiment was set to officially begin later that day at Holloman, in which the AT-6 and A-29 would demonstrate their capabilities. The A-29 crashed before the maneuvers began and we heard one of its two crew escaped the incident with minor injuries, with no further information being released about the second flyer's condition. Sadly, we now have confirmation that the second crewman died as a result of the mishap.

The pilot was identified by the U.S. Navy as Lt. Christopher Casey Short from Canandaigua, New York. In an official statement, Col. Houston Cantwell, commander of Holloman's 49th Wing, said:

"There's no way to describe the shock of this loss and the sadness we feel for his family. He did pioneering work in aviation that will help shape American air power for years to come. We're thankful to have known him and grateful for his devotion to duty."

Short's Facebook page has pictures of him flying F/A-18s and a number of photos of VFC-12 "Fighting Omars" aggressor Hornets, which belong to the Navy Reserve. Often times Navy Reserve pilots work for contractors in a flying role, which would make sense in this case although we have no definitive information at this point of this being the case. Regardless, this is a terrible loss to the Sierra Nevada Corporation/Embraer and Navy families to which Short belonged to. The accident is under investigation and we don't even know the nature of mishap at this time. The A-29 is a proven light attack platform that serves in often harsh conditions for a number of operators around the globe. The USAF flies the aircraft to training foreign students, namely those of the Afghan Air Force. One USAF A-29 crash did occur in 2017 that involved an A-29 losing power, resulting in both pilots ejecting. Nobody died in that incident.

The crash is certain to loom large over the USAF's Light Attack Experiment and a struggling initiative to field either the A-29 or the AT-6 to Air Force combat squadrons. The USMC is also looking to procure a similar aircraft but for somewhat different purposes. In fact, at this time we don't even know if the second flight demonstration phase of the program will continue at Holloman AFB in the coming week. We will keep you informed as new info becomes available, but in the meantime, our deepest condolences go out to the Lieutenant's family, friends, squadron mates, and co-workers.</s>A US Air Force light attack plane crashed Friday over a bombing range in New Mexico. One pilot was injured, while the condition of the second one was not disclosed.

An A-29 Super Tucano aircraft crashed over the Red Rio Bombing Range, located some 105 kilometers north of the Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, the 49th Wing said in a statement.

One aircrew member sustained minor injuries and was airlifted to a local hospital, the statement said. Information on the second pilot “will be released when it is available,” it added.

The crashed A-29 was taking part in training as part of the Holloman base’s Light Attack Experiment, a program aimed at creating a fleet of new lightweight attack aircraft. The Air Force is considering the A-29 Super Tucano and the AT-6 Wolverine as the candidates. The base in New Mexico is used for demonstration flights, which started in May, Military.com said.</s>Air Force training flight down in New Mexico: one crew member injured; another’s condition unknown

An Air Force aircraft crashed in New Mexico on Friday during a training exercise, injuring one crew member, officials said.

An A-29 Super Tucano crashed over the Red Rio Bombing Range at about 11:30 a.m. local time in an area just 65 miles north of Holloman Air Force Base.

The aircraft was participating in a “training flight as a part of the Air Force’s Light Attack Experiment,” according to a statement.

White Sands Missile Range Directorate of Emergency Services was the first to respond to the scene. – READ MORE</s>A manned aircraft has crashed north of the Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, US military officials reported. The 49th Wing said the crash happened 65 miles (105km) from the base at the Red Rio Bombing Range, but it would not confirm whether the aircraft belonged to the US Air Force. The pilot was found on board, but his condition was not immediately disclosed.</s>HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. - A manned aircraft crashed at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, The Associated Press reported.

A spokesman for the 49th Wing issued a news release saying the crash happened before noon Friday at Red Rio Bombing Range, the AP reported.

The condition of the pilot is unknown.

Copyright 2018 by KSAT. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The US Navy states an A-29 Super Tucano crash at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico yesterday killed a pilot.