Emergency services crews are responding to the crash of a Navy F/A-18E near Trona, CA. Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake firefighters are currently on scene with Navy Security Forces. The aircraft is apparently from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
The United States Navy released this statement:
“This afternoon at approximately 2:30 PM PDT, an F/A-18E Super Hornet based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif. crashed in the vicinity of Trona, Calif. The pilot is confirmed deceased. The identity of the pilot will not be released until 24 hours after the next of kin have been notified. Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake Federal Firefighters and Naval Security Forces are on site. No civilians were harmed in this incident. More information will be made available at the earliest opportunity.“
In October, an F/A-18F crashed in nearby Death Valley with the pilot sustaining minor injures. In 2020, an F/A-18E crashed in China Lake with the pilot surviving. In 2019, a pilot died in an F/A-18E died during a training flight in Death Valley.
The Press Statement :
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