A Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet crashed late Tuesday morning in Central California.
The crash occurred at about 10:10 a.m. after the jet “experienced a mishap during a routine training flight in the Superior Valley, just south of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake,” according to Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Lydia Bock.
The pilot ejected and was taken to a local hospital for examination, she said in a brief statement.
Bock declined to name the squadron to which the jet belonged but said it was stationed at Naval Air Station Lemoore, which lies northwest of the China Lake base.
The crash is under investigation, she said.
23ABC News in nearby Bakersfield reported that the crash occurred west of the town of Ridgecrest, near the crossing of Highways 178 and 14, a few miles from the China Lake base.
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.
