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Marine F/A-18 crash kills one; jet crashed during close air support training
I don't know if this made LBN or not. The initial report that the aircraft broke apart seems not to be supported.
Marine F/A-18 crash kills one; jet crashed during close air support training
By Thomas Gibbons-Neff July 29
thomas.gibbons-neff@washpost.com
@Tmgneff
A Marine F/A-18C Hornet crashed during a training exercise in the Mojave desert Thursday night, killing the pilot, the Marine Corps announced Friday.
The crash occurred around 10:30 p.m. near Twentynine Palms, Calif., according to a Marine Corps release. The cause of the crash is under investigation and the pilot’s name will not be released until the next of kin are notified.
According to a Marine who witnessed the crash, the F/A-18 was in a dive preparing to drop ordnance on a simulated target when the aircraft broke apart in midair and erupted into a fireball. The base’s civilian air rescue immediately responded to the crash site — a strip of canyon roughly 10 miles south of I-40 called Gay’s Pass, said the Marine, who requested anonymity because of his active duty status.
Marine spokesman Lt. Col. Eric Dent said in an email that contrary to the eyewitness account provided in this article, there are “no initial indications that the aircraft…broke apart.”
By Thomas Gibbons-Neff July 29
thomas.gibbons-neff@washpost.com
@Tmgneff
A Marine F/A-18C Hornet crashed during a training exercise in the Mojave desert Thursday night, killing the pilot, the Marine Corps announced Friday.
The crash occurred around 10:30 p.m. near Twentynine Palms, Calif., according to a Marine Corps release. The cause of the crash is under investigation and the pilot’s name will not be released until the next of kin are notified.
According to a Marine who witnessed the crash, the F/A-18 was in a dive preparing to drop ordnance on a simulated target when the aircraft broke apart in midair and erupted into a fireball. The base’s civilian air rescue immediately responded to the crash site — a strip of canyon roughly 10 miles south of I-40 called Gay’s Pass, said the Marine, who requested anonymity because of his active duty status.
Marine spokesman Lt. Col. Eric Dent said in an email that contrary to the eyewitness account provided in this article, there are “no initial indications that the aircraft…broke apart.”
