Moment fighter jet bursts into flames and crashes during take off https://t.co/AynPQilYNu
Navy pilot rescued from Virginia waters as F/A-18 fleet faces string of recent mishaps https://t.co/QL3Hzpasg9
Ejected Navy pilot rescued off Virginia coast after fighter jet crash https://t.co/zKBGZPaepd https://t.co/puQRnacmls
A U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet from Strike Fighter Squadron 83 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean during a routine training flight off the coast of Virginia on Wednesday morning, the service said. The Virginia Beach-based aircraft went down shortly before 10 a.m. Eastern time. The pilot ejected at about 9:53 a.m. and was located by search-and-rescue teams at 11:21 a.m. before being transported to a local hospital for evaluation. The jet, which carries an estimated production cost of roughly $67 million, remains underwater while crews assess recovery options. Naval Air Force Atlantic has opened a formal investigation and will decide whether to order a safety stand-down once preliminary findings are reviewed. The incident marks the sixth F-18 series loss the Navy has recorded in the past ten months, adding to concerns about the Super Hornet fleet’s mishap rate. Hours after the Virginia crash, a Royal Malaysian Air Force F/A-18D went down on take-off at Kuantan Airbase, with both crew members ejecting safely, underscoring the wider scrutiny facing the decades-old fighter platform.
