The pilot of an F/A-18 fighter jet who ejected Thursday night as the plane crashed near San Diego has died. The pilot has not been publicly identified and the investigation into the crash continued Friday. Navy service members maintain an F/A-18 fighter jet on deck during an exercise on the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft Carrier in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, on Nov. 13, 2022. File Photo by Stephanie Lecocq/EPA-EFE
Aug. 25 (UPI) — The F/A-18 fighter pilot who ejected during a training flight near San Diego Thursday night has died, according to ABC News, citing an unnamed U.S. military official.
The military still hasn’t said whether the jet was a single or two-seater.
Military emergency crews Friday afternoon searched for the pilot, officials said.
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar San Diego spokesman Capt. Michael Sraccia said Friday details about the crash remained limited. Cause of the crash is unknown and it remained under investigation Friday.
The fight occurred at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar just before midnight late Thursday where the pilot managed to eject from the jet before it crashed.
The air station said the crash occurred in a remote part of the base east of Interstate 15. The jet was not attached to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing but was operating out of MCAS Miramar.
Air station officials said they have taken over the search after San Diego police initially responded to the crash. There appeared to be no other damage to property on the ground, officials said.
Authorities have not publicly identified the pilot or additional information about the training mission as of Friday afternoon.
This is a developing story.