Hunter crash in California
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Hunter crash in California
Associated Press report earlier today, Friday, in CA. Condolences to the pilot's kin:
A privately owned jet contracted by the military to play the enemy in training exercises crashed Friday in a Southern California farm field, killing the civilian pilot, authorities said.
The Hawker Hunter jet trainer went down near Naval Base Ventura County, fire department spokesman Steve Swindle said. The pilot was the only person aboard.
The high-performance military-style aircraft took off from the base on a training sortie with another jet trainer and went down as it was returning, about two miles from the runway.
"He was on final approach. He went down," Swindle said. He said the sky in the area was "bright and crystal clear."
The farm field where the plane crashed is between Point Mugu State Park, Camarillo Airport, and the Naval base, some 50 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.
Debris from the crash covered an area about the size of a football field, Swindle said. There were no injuries on the ground and there was no fire, He said.
Read more: Military trainer jet crashes in Calif.; 1 dead
A privately owned jet contracted by the military to play the enemy in training exercises crashed Friday in a Southern California farm field, killing the civilian pilot, authorities said.
The Hawker Hunter jet trainer went down near Naval Base Ventura County, fire department spokesman Steve Swindle said. The pilot was the only person aboard.
The high-performance military-style aircraft took off from the base on a training sortie with another jet trainer and went down as it was returning, about two miles from the runway.
"He was on final approach. He went down," Swindle said. He said the sky in the area was "bright and crystal clear."
The farm field where the plane crashed is between Point Mugu State Park, Camarillo Airport, and the Naval base, some 50 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.
Debris from the crash covered an area about the size of a football field, Swindle said. There were no injuries on the ground and there was no fire, He said.
Read more: Military trainer jet crashes in Calif.; 1 dead
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Private plane used in military exercises crashes near Point Mugu; pilot killed » Ventura County Star
The downed plane was a Hawker Hunter, a single-seat fighter/ground attack monoplane. It crashed about 12:15 p.m. in a field off Broome Ranch Road between CSU Channel Islands in Camarillo and Point Mugu.
The Hawker Hunter jet belonged to Airborne Tactical Advantage Co., a contractor for Naval Base Ventura County, said Navy spokesman Vance Vasquez. The company's website says it operates the Mk-58 Hawker Hunter.
Matt Bannon, spokesman for Airborne Tactical, would not release the name of the pilot until the family had been reached. County coroner officials were still at the scene late this afternoon.
The Virginia-based company helps conduct tactical exercises at Point Mugu, officials said. "These are ex-military planes that are used as adversary support ... they play the 'bad guys' during exercises," Vasquez said.
The plane was returning to Point Mugu with another Airborne Tactical Hawker when it crashed about 1.5 miles from the base, Vasquez said.
Sergio Mendoza, 23, was working in a celery field when he saw the two planes flying together. Mendoza said he saw one jet catch on fire and start breaking apart midair before he lost sight of the plane going down.
The Hawker Hunter jet belonged to Airborne Tactical Advantage Co., a contractor for Naval Base Ventura County, said Navy spokesman Vance Vasquez. The company's website says it operates the Mk-58 Hawker Hunter.
Matt Bannon, spokesman for Airborne Tactical, would not release the name of the pilot until the family had been reached. County coroner officials were still at the scene late this afternoon.
The Virginia-based company helps conduct tactical exercises at Point Mugu, officials said. "These are ex-military planes that are used as adversary support ... they play the 'bad guys' during exercises," Vasquez said.
The plane was returning to Point Mugu with another Airborne Tactical Hawker when it crashed about 1.5 miles from the base, Vasquez said.
Sergio Mendoza, 23, was working in a celery field when he saw the two planes flying together. Mendoza said he saw one jet catch on fire and start breaking apart midair before he lost sight of the plane going down.
