The pilot of a US Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet that crashed on Thursday night near San Diego has been confirmed dead, according to a statement from the unit. The pilot was the only person aboard the aircraft, CNN reported.
Search and rescue teams sent out after the crash found the pilot at the scene and confirmed that he had been killed, the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina said in a statement, as per CNN.
The statement said: “With a heavy heart, our condolences go to the Marine’s family during this time.”
The service member’s identity will not be released “until 24 hours after all next-of-kin notifications have been completed,” the Marines said.
The crash site is on US government property in the vicinity of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, “and there are no indications of damage to property on the ground,” the Marines said earlier Friday.
As per the Marines, an investigation into the crash has begun.
The F/A-18 Hornet is the nation’s first all-weather fighter and attack aircraft, and is considered “the workhorse of Marine Corps tactical aviation,” according to Naval Air Systems Command.
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