An F/A-18E fighter jet has crashed in California.
“At approximately 10:00 a.m PST an F/A-18E crashed near @NAWS_CL [Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake]. Search-and-rescue efforts are underway,” said a tweet from the official U.S. Naval Air Forces Twitter account on Wednesday afternoon.
At approximately 10:00 a.m PST an F/A-18E crashed near @NAWS_CL. Search-and-rescue efforts are underway.
— flynavy (@flynavy) July 31, 2019
The fighter jet was on a “routine training flight” when the crash occurred.
“The aircraft from VFA-151 was on a routine training flight when the mishap occurred. Search and rescue units from @NAWS_CL and NAS Lemoore are on scene. The cause of the mishap is under investigation,” U.S. Naval Forces later tweeted.
The aircraft from VFA-151 was on a routine training flight when the mishap occurred. Search and rescue units from @NAWS_CL and NAS Lemoore are on scene. The cause of the mishap is under investigation.
— flynavy (@flynavy) July 31, 2019
Naval Air Station Lemoore confirmed that the fighter jet was one of its own.
“An F/A-18E based out of NAS Lemoore and assigned to Commander, Strike Fighter Wing Pacific was involved in a mishap north of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, CA,” NAS Lemoore tweeted Wednesday evening.
An F/A-18E based out of NAS Lemoore and assigned to Commander, Strike Fighter Wing Pacific was involved in a mishap north of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, CA. Media interested in covering a press conf. sched. for 5:00 p.m.(PST), pls report to the NAS Lemoore media lot.
— NAS Lemoore (@lemoore_nas) July 31, 2019
“At approximately 10 a.m. PST, a F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the ‘Vigilantes’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151 based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, crashed east of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California,” Joint Strike Fighter Wing public affairs officer. Lt. Cmdr. Lydia Bock told ABC News.
The pilot’s condition is not yet clear, and details of the crash are not yet available.
NBC 7 reported that the fighter jet crashed near China Lake and Inyo County, located in Central California and southeast of Yosemite National Park.
NAWS China Lake is located some 125 miles north of Los Angeles.
U.S. Naval Air Forces spokesman Cmdr. Ron Flanders confirmed to ABC News that the crash occurred and the pilot’s condition was unknown as search and rescue operations were underway.
