A U.S. Navy jet crashed into the water off the coast of Southern California late Wednesday evening, as the pilot — who safely ejected — was making a beeline for the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier.
The pilot was quickly recovered and deemed in stable condition, the Navy said in a statement reported by CBS. The aircraft, on the other hand, a F/A-18E Super Hornet, is still in the water.
Other jets that were in the air at the time of the incident were sent to Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, California, CBS reported.
The Navy put a stop to all other air missions related to the Carl Vinson while an investigation continues to determine why the plane crashed.
The Carl Vinson and the Carrier Air Wing 17 were conducting a Joint Task Force Exercise “designed to test a strike group’s ability to operate in hostile and complex environments with other U.S. and coalition forces,” the Navy said in a statement.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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