A Harrier jet crashed into a California neighborhood. Another jet crashed off the California coast a few hours later.
Version 0 of 1. Two military jets crashed several hours apart in California on Wednesday. One of them crashed into a neighborhood, destroying homes but somehow not causing any reported injuries; the other went down in the ocean while trying to land on an aircraft carrier. The first crash happened in Imperial, a small city a little under two hours east of San Diego, on Wednesday at around 4:20 p.m. Three houses were destroyed when the AV-8B Harrier jet crashed, while several other houses were evacuated, according to the Marines. Despite the jet crashing into a strip of residential homes, the Marines said there were no reports of injuries to anyone on the ground. The jet’s pilot ejected and was taken to a hospital in the area with minor injuries, the Marines said. You can see videos from the aftermath of the crash here. The AV-8B Harrier jet that crashed was based at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in Arizona, which is about an hour east of Imperial by car. This is the second time a Harrier jet from the Yuma air station has crashed in less than a month. Another crashed on May 9 in an unpopulated area south of Phoenix. And Wednesday’s crash in Imperial is at least the 11th Harrier crash in California or Arizona since 1996, according to the Yuma Sun. The Marines said they will investigate the cause of this latest accident. A few hours later, another fighter jet crashed off the California coast. This F/A/-18E Super Hornet crashed into the water while trying to land on the USS Carl Vinson at about 10 p.m. on Wednesday night, the Navy said. The pilot ejected and is aboard the Carl Vinson in stable condition, while the jet has not been recovered from the ocean yet. The Navy is investigating what caused the issue. In the meantime, air operations on the Carl Vinson have been halted. The jet is based at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia. This post has been updated. Last update: Friday at 5:05 p.m. |