Marine Fighter Pilot Survives Crash at Base Airfield

A fighter-jet pilot survived a crash landing at a Marine base in Southern California Tuesday night.

The pilot ejected from an F/A-18C Hornet after it touched down at the Twentynine Palms Strategic Expeditionary Landing Field, according to Marine Corps spokesman 1st Lt. John Roberts.

Authorities recovered the pilot and took him to a hospital with only minor injuries. The pilot was in "good condition," according to the release.

The Marine Corps has not released a name, but said that the pilot was with the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 251, Marine Aircraft Group 31, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.

Marine Aircraft Group 31 is currently in Twentynine Palms, located about 140 miles east of Los Angeles, for training exercises. The group's home station is Beaufort, South Carolina.

It is unclear what caused the pilot to eject from the fighter jet, which is a one-seat aircraft, but the Marine Corps said the incident is under investigation.

At the time of the crash, the pilot was conducting a training exercise that focuses on how all parts of the Marine Air Ground Task Force work together in real life conditions.

"The mountainous, desert environment of Twentynine Palms prepares Marines for the conditions they may encounter while deployed in support of operations worldwide," the press release said.

In the wake of yesterday's mishap, all aviation units participating in the training are conducting a 24-hour operational pause.

In July, another F/A-18C Hornet crash in Twentynine Palms killed 36-year old Marine, Maj. Richard Norton during a training mission.

Last month, a U-2 Air Force reconnaissance plane crashed 15 minutes after takeoff in Sutter County, California, killing one of the two pilots aboard.