By Rick Rogers
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 1, 2006
The pilot of a single-seat jet fighter that crashed at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station yesterday escaped with some cuts and bruises, base officials said.
FRED GREAVES
The pilot of the crashed fighter jet and other military personnel (group at left) carried a parachute away from the crash site east of Miramar Marine Corps Air Station. The Marine was identified as being from a fighter-attack training squadron.
He ejected shortly before his $40 million F/A-18 Hornet burst into flames about 3 miles east of the Miramar air field. He was found near the wreckage and taken back to base headquarters in an ambulance.
“The pilot is safe,” said Maj. Jason Johnston, a Miramar spokesman. Johnston declined to identify the pilot, except to say that he was from VMFAT-101, a Marine fighter-attack training squadron.
The crash, which occurred at about 12:20 p.m., caused a small brush fire near Rue Chantemar, south of Pomerado Road and on base property, said Maurice Luque, a spokesman for the San Diego Fire Department. The flames were extinguished shortly afterward.
Several witnesses said the aircraft came to rest in an open field on the base less than a mile from part of Scripps Ranch, a sprawling housing development known for its high number of families. Marine officials said they had launched an investigation and wouldn't speculate on causes of the crash until it was completed. Such probes can last a year or longer.
