2 hours ago
3
A aviator was rescued aft a U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet crashed into water waters disconnected the seashore of Virginia connected Wednesday morning, officials said.
A small earlier 10 a.m. ET, a aviator assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 83 ejected from a Super Hornet during a regular grooming flight, according to a connection from Navy spokesperson Lt. Jackie Parashar.
Search teams were deployed and the aviator was rescued astatine astir 11:21 a.m., Parashar said.
The pilot, whose information was not confirmed, was taken to a infirmary for a aesculapian evaluation.
The crashed pitchy has not yet been recovered from the water, Parashar said. The origin of the clang is nether investigation.
Strike Fighter Squadron 83 is based retired of Naval Air Station Oceana successful Virginia Beach.
This marks the sixth F-18 that the Navy has mislaid successful the past 10 months.
In October 2024, two pilots were killed erstwhile an EA-18G Growler, a variant of the F/A-18E Super Hornet, crashed near Washington state's Mount Rainier, besides during a regular grooming flight.
Then successful December, U.S. Central Command reported that a Super Hornet assigned to the USS Harry S. Truman successful the Red Sea was accidentally changeable down by affable occurrence from the guided rocket cruiser USS Gettysburg. The 2 pilots aboard ejected safely.
In February, a Growler crashed successful the San Diego Bay successful Southern California, adjacent Naval Base Coronado. Both pilots ejected and were rescued by a charter sportfishing boat.
In April, a Super Hornet fell overboard disconnected the USS Harry S. Truman and into the Red Sea portion it was being towed into a hangar bay, the Navy said. There were nary superior injuries.
About 1 week later, successful aboriginal May, a Super Hornet combatant pitchy went overboard arsenic well portion attempting to onshore connected the formation platform of the USS Harry S. Truman. At the time, a Defense Department authoritative told CBS News that an arrestment — a mechanics utilized to drawback a combatant pitchy and safely dilatory it down — had failed. Both pilots were capable to safely eject.
The Super Hornet has a accumulation cost of astir $67 million, according to the Navy.
Eleanor Watson and Charlie D'Agata contributed to this report.
Faris Tanyos is simply a quality exertion for CBSNews.com, wherever helium writes and edits stories and tracks breaking news. He antecedently worked arsenic a integer quality shaper astatine respective section quality stations up and down the West Coast.
English (US) ·