A U.S. Navy fighter jet suffered an in-flight engine fire earlier this month, prompting an emergency landing, officials confirmed Tuesday.
The F/A-18F Super Hornet, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 103 out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia, was conducting routine training near the Virginia Capes at the time of the Sept. 10 mishap, Naval Air Forces Atlantic spokeswoman Cmdr. Jennifer Cragg said in an email.
The jet landed safely back at Oceana without incident and no one was injured, Cragg said.
“An aviation mishap investigation has been initiated and will determine the causal factors associated with this incident,” she said.
It was the fifth so-called “Class A” aviation mishap involving a Super Hornet this fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, according to Navy data.
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Class A mishaps involve property damage of at least $2.5 million.
The sea service has had 11 Class A manned and unmanned aviation mishaps this fiscal year, up from eight in fiscal 2019, according to the Naval Safety Center.
[Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to accurately reflect the damage threshold for a Class A mishap.]
Geoff is the managing editor of Military Times, but he still loves writing stories. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at geoffz@militarytimes.com.
