A U.S. Navy F/A-18 fighter jet crashed in Washington state, according to reports circulating in Israeli media. The pilot ejected safely. The incident occurred during what local sources described as a training flight; an investigation is underway.
An F/A-18 fighter jet operated by the U.S. Navy crashed in Washington state, with the pilot ejecting safely, according to reports cited by Israeli media. The incident follows a similar mishap reported by The Zioneer earlier this morning (07:21 Jerusalem): a U.S. Navy F-18 crashed overnight in the same state during a training flight, with the pilot's condition then unconfirmed. The current report adds that the pilot was rescued unharmed. No cause has yet been given; the U.S. military is conducting an investigation.
The Zioneer's coverage of this chain of events began at 02:45 Jerusalem, when initial reports described a U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18D Hornet crashing at Rimrock Lake, Yakima County, and the Marine Corps stating the pilot ejected safely. By 07:21 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that the aircraft had been identified as a U.S. Navy F-18, and the pilot's condition had not been reported. At the same time, local fire authorities told The Zioneer that the pilot had ejected before impact, was extracted, and taken to a hospital, and that a nearby forest fire had been ignited. The latest update confirms the pilot was rescued unharmed, adding that he ejected safely from the aircraft.
As The Zioneer reported on June 12 at 01:15 Jerusalem, a U.S. aircraft declared an in-flight emergency and landed at a U.S. base in the United Arab Emirates; that incident is not directly related to the Washington state crash.
It remains unclear what caused the crash; the U.S. military has opened an investigation.
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