An F/A-18E Super Hornet, right, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 151, launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis in the Indian Ocean on March 7, 2019. Navy photo by MC3 Grant G. Grady.
A Navy pilot was killed July 31 when their F/A-18E Super Hornet crashed in the California desert, Naval Air Forces confirmed in an Aug. 1 tweet.
The Pentagon is withholding the pilot’s identity for 24 hours in accordance with department policy.
The jet, assigned to a fighter squadron at NAS Lemoore, Calif., went down during a routine training flight in Death Valley National Park.
The Navy dispatched teams to search for the pilot near so-called “Star Wars Canyon,” and is investigating the accident.
Seven people were also injured in the incident, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The pilot’s home squadron acknowledged the crash in a July 31 Facebook post, while Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson tweeted his condolences.
The squadron is a member of Carrier Air Group 9 and attached to the USS John C. Stennis.