TRONA, California — A Navy fighter jet crashed Friday in the Southern California desert, killing the pilot, authorities said.
An F/A-18E Super Hornet stationed at Naval Air Station Lemoore crashed around 2:30 p.m. in the Trona area, an unincorporated Mojave Desert community in San Bernardino County, the Navy said in a statement. declare.
No one on the ground was injured.
The pilot’s identity and details of the crash were not immediately released.
Trona is about 236 miles (380 km) southeast of the air station, in the Central Valley.
Lemoore is home to Commander Strike Fighter Wing Pacific and Commander Joint Strike Fighter Wing and has 16 active Strike Fighter squadrons, according to its website.
In 2019, a Navy Super Hornet crashed at Death Valley National Park during a routine training mission, killing the pilot and injuring seven park visitors. Officials said they gathered at a stunning scene, where aviation enthusiasts watched military pilots travel at low speed through a wormhole known as Star Wars Canyon.
Last October, a Navy Super Hornet from Naval Air Station China Lake also crashed, and in 2020, another from Lemoore crashed, both on training missions. The pilots ejected safely, one in the remote southern region of Death Valley National Park near the Nevada border and the other in the Mojave Desert.
