This post has been updated with a statement from the Navy and additional details on the location of the crash .
A single-seat F/A-18E Super Hornet based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif., crashed on Wednesday morning, and the status of the pilot is unknown, Navy officials have told USNI News.
“At approximately 10 a.m. PST, an F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the ‘Vigilantes’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151 based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif., crashed east of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Calif.,” read a statement from spokeswoman Lt. Cmdr. Lydia Bock provided to USNI News.
“Search and rescue personnel are on scene and the status of the pilot is currently unknown. The cause of the crash is currently under investigation.”
A rescue team from the base and local officials are on the scene of the crash, Bock told USNI News.
According to a report in Los Angeles Times, the Super Hornet went down in the Death Valley National Park over the so-called “Star Wars Canyon,” a spot popular with aviation photographers. A park spokesman told the paper that seven people in the park suffered minor injuries.
VFA-151 is part of Carrier Air Wing 9 which returned to California earlier this year after completing a deployment aboard USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74).
The following is the complete July 31, 2019 statement on the crash.
At approximately 10 a.m. PST, a F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the ‘Vigilantes’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151 based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, crashed east of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California.
Search and rescue personnel are on scene and the status of the pilot is currently unknown. The cause of the crash is currently under investigation.
