Home Americas Pilot killed in crash of US Navy Super Hornet near China Lake

Pilot killed in crash of US Navy Super Hornet near China Lake

NAS Lemoore fighter aircraft crash
US Navy file photo of an F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to Naval Air Station Lemoore

A US Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter aircraft crashed in the vicinity of Trona, California, on June 3, killing the pilot.

The aircraft was flying out of Naval Air Station Lemoore, and crashed at approximately 2:30 p.m. local time.

The navy said the pilot is confirmed deceased, while no civilians were harmed in this incident.

Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake Federal Firefighters and Naval Security Forces responded to the crash, the service said, adding that the identity of the pilot would not be released until 24 hours after the next of kin have been notified.

This is the fourth crash of a fighter aircraft based at NAS Lemoore in three years.

In October 2020, a US Navy F/A-18E crashed during a routine training flight in the Superior Valley, just south of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. The pilot managed to eject safely during that mishap.

Exactly a year later, an F/A-18F crashed in Death Valley National Park, California, with the pilot receiving only minor injuries.

Those two crashes were preceded by a fatal 2019 crash of an F/A-18E in Death Valley.