A U.S. Navy pilot was rescued Wednesday morning after their F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet crashed into ocean waters off of Virginia.
In a statement, Navy spokesperson Lieutenant Jackie Parashar confirmed a pilot assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 83 ejected from their aircraft during a routine training flight. Search and rescue teams were deployed, and after about an hour and a half, the pilot was located and pulled from the water.
Navy officials did not disclose the pilot’s condition but did say the individual was brought to a local hospital “for further medical evaluation.”
The crashed Super Hornet has not been recovered, Parashar added. The cause of the incident is now under investigation.
Strike Fighter Squadron 83 is based at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach.
The Navy has lost three other F/A-18s in recent months.
In December, a Super Hornet operating over the Red Sea was accidentally hit by a surface-to-air missile fired from the USS Gettysburg. The two pilots on board ejected safely.
In April, an F/A-18E and a tow tractor fell off the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman after an apparent loss of control.
The sailors involved cleared the area before the aircraft and the tractor fell overboard, and the pilot received only minor injuries. The Navy blamed the incident on the carrier having to make a hard turn to avoid fire from Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Less than a month later, in May, another F/A-18 went overboard while attempting to land on the USS Harry S. Truman. The pilot and a weapons system officer ejected safely and were rescued.
