According to the Coast Guard, two F/A-18 fighter jets crashed off the North Carolina coast on Thursday morning due to a “mid-air mishap.”
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The incident occurred roughly 27 miles from Cape Hatteras where fighter jets are often used to train at Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach. Around 10:30 A.M, the two fighter jets were conducting routine training and crashed.
The jets were assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 211 at Oceana Naval Air Station and were on a routine training mission when the crash occurred, the Navy said in a statement.
The crew of a local commercial fishing vessel recovered two of the survivors while the Coast Guard grabbed the other two out of the water.
According to Petty Officer Fagal Nifin, four people have been taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and the extent of their injuries are unknown. The Coast Guard sent a HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Elizabeth City to recover those involved in the crash.
At the time, there were two Navy helicopters and a Coast Guard helicopter in the area.
Naval Air Force Atlantic is conducting an investigation and can’t confirm what happened until it is completed.
One patient was carried off a helicopter a little after 12 P.M and appears to be awake in a gurney.
The crews received only minor injuries and Coast Guard spokeswoman, Lt. Cmdr. Krystyn Pecora told pilotonline.com, all four “are in very high spirits.”
We will bring you more information as it becomes available.
