Pilot Killed in Nevada Supersonic Fighter Jet Crash: Navy
BY HENRY AUSTIN
A military pilot was killed when his strike fighter crashed on a training mission in Nevada, the Navy said in a statement Monday.
The F/A-18C Hornet ( same jet as EA18G) went down Saturday during a training flight for the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center about 70 miles east of the center’s headquarters at Naval Air Station Fallon.
The pilot’s identity has been withheld until his next-of-kin are notified, the Navy said.
Reports from the scene indicated the twin-engine supersonic combat jet was “a total loss,” the statement read.
“The aircraft was not carrying any weapons or other munitions on the training flight,” it said, adding that there were no reports of any other injuries or property damage associated with the crash, which happened at around 3 p.m. local time (6 p.m. ET) Saturday.
“An investigation will be carried out to determine the cause of the crash,” the statement added.
An earlier release had incorrectly identified the jet as belonging to the U.S. Navy, but the later statement clarified that the fighter had been loaned to the Air Warfare Center by the U.S. Marine Corps.
Many of us are part of military flying families and we remember the frightening risks we endured. Our hearts go out to this pilot’s loved ones. If, as I have, you have lost pilots to accidents in your family you know that they would do anything to avoid civilian casualties should the worst happen – but we all knew that it was often out of their control, and location was usually the ultimate factor. I am sure everyone involved in this tragedy is deeply grateful that no others were harmed.