Rescuers search Pacific for Navy pilot after 2 jets crash; 2nd pilot safely ejects

LEMOORE, Calif. – Rescuers searched an area of the far western Pacific Ocean Saturday for a Navy fighter pilot whose jet was one of two that crashed west of Wake Island.

One pilot ejected safely after Friday’s crash but the other was missing and the subject of a search off the U.S. territory, the Navy said.

The F/A-18C Hornets were from Carrier Air Wing 17 based at Naval Air Station Lemoore in California’s San Joaquin Valley. The air wing is embarked on the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.

The crash occurred at 5:40 p.m. local time about 290 miles (467 kilometres) west of Wake Island, Navy Cmdr. Jeannie Groeneveld said from San Diego. The island is 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometres) west of Honolulu.

Groeneveld said she couldn’t release details of the crash, but an investigation already had started.

The rescued pilot was in fair condition in the medical department of the Carl Vinson, she said.

All other aircraft that were airborne at the time safely returned to the ship.

The search for the missing pilot involved the guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill, the guided-missile destroyer USS Gridley, the USS Sperett, the USS Dewey and two helicopter squadrons.

There was no sign of the pilot or the jets in the water as of Saturday afternoon, said Joshua Karsten, a public affairs officer for the U.S. 7th Fleet.

Groeneveld said a few hours later that the pilot hadn’t been located and the search was still underway.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to all involved,” Groeneveld said.

The Carl Vinson strike group team departed San Diego on Aug. 22 for what was announced as a 9 1/2-month deployment.

The F/A-18C is a twin-engine, single-seat strike fighter, designed to function both as a fighter – in roles such as engaging enemy aircraft – and as an attack aircraft, bombing ground targets for example. Fifty-six feet (17 metres) long and with a wingspan of 40 1/2 feet (12 metres), Hornet C models have been deployed since the late 1980s.

Built by prime contractor McDonnell Douglas, the jets are capable of flying at speeds greater than Mach 1.7 and altitudes of more than 50,000 feet (15,000 metres), according to the Navy.