An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter lands on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) during search and rescue operations for a missing pilot on Friday, Sept. 12, 2014. - The Associated Press
Two Navy fighter jets embarked with the San Diego-based aircraft carrier Carl Vinson crashed in the western Pacific early Friday morning, Navy officials announced.
Initial reports were that the two planes apparently collided, said Lt. Lauren Cole, a spokeswoman for the Navy’s 7th Fleet.One pilot was rapidly retrieved after the collision, which occurred while the carrier was approximately 250 nautical miles west of Wake Island, a coral atoll just north of the Marshall Islands. He was in fair condition receiving medical attention aboard the carrier. A search by helicopters and ships was under way for the second pilot.
It was about 5:40 p.m. in their area when the two F/A-18C Hornets from Carrier Air Wing 17 went down. They were deployed from units based at Naval Air Station Lemoore in California’s San Joaquin Valley: Strike Fighter Squadron 94 and Strike Fighter Squadron 113.Neither of the jets has been recovered. The cause of the incident was under investigation.
"Our primary concern right now is the search for the missing pilot,” Cole said.The search included the Carl Vinson, the guided-missile cruiser Bunker Hill, and the guided-missile destroyers Gridley, Sterett and Dewey; as well as aircraft from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 15 and Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/sep/12/navy-jets-crash-sea/
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