Major setback for US Navy as F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet crashes in Washington
Washington: A US military fighter jet crashed in Washington state, sparking a forest fire. The pilot ejected before the crash and sustained only minor injuries.
According to the news agency Xinhua, the aircraft crashed near Rimrock Lake, prompting an immediate emergency operation to extinguish the resulting fire in the wooded area.
According to an NBC News report, the F/A-18 Hornet jet—attached to the California-based Marine Corps Air Station Miramar—crashed while on a routine training flight. The fighter jet was part of Marine Aircraft Group 11 and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, both based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California.
Local sheriff's department officials located the pilot safe and sound. He sustained only minor injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation. The crash ignited a large fire in the brush and forest of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.
Firefighting helicopters and local agencies, including the Naches Fire Department, arrived at the scene to bring the blaze under control. The US Marine Corps is investigating the cause of the accident.
Earlier in April, a US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iran, triggering a special search-and-rescue operation to locate the wreckage and recover the crew. Both crew members on board managed to escape safely. The F-15E is a two-seat multi-role fighter jet operated by a pilot and a weapons systems officer.
In a separate incident on the same day, a US Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt attack aircraft was also lost in the region. According to local media, its pilot was safely rescued.
According to initial information from the US, both aircraft were likely targeted in an Iranian attack. Iran claimed to have shot down a US fighter jet and released images purported to show the wreckage of an F-15E; however, the authenticity of these images could not be independently verified.
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