Rescuers searched an area
of the far western Pacific Ocean Saturday for a
Navy fighter pilot whose jet was one of two that
crashed west of Wake Island.
One pilot ejected safely after Friday's crash but the
other was missing and the subject of a search off
the U.S. territory, the Navy said.
The F/A-18C Hornets were from Carrier Air Wing 17
based at Naval Air Station Lemoore in California's
San Joaquin Valley. The air wing is embarked on
the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.
The crash occurred at 5:40 p.m. local time about
290 miles west of Wake Island, Navy Cmdr. Jeannie
Groeneveld said from San Diego. The island is 2,300
miles west of Honolulu.
Groeneveld said she couldn't release details of the
crash, but an investigation already had started.
The rescued pilot was in fair condition in the
medical department of the Carl Vinson, she said.
All other aircraft that were airborne at the time
safely returned to the ship.
The search for the missing pilot involved the
guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill, the guided-
missile destroyer USS Gridley, the USS Sperett, the
USS Dewey and two helicopter squadrons.
There was no sign of the pilot or the jets in the
water as of Saturday afternoon, said Joshua
Karsten, a public affairs officer for the U.S. 7th
Fleet.
Groeneveld said a few hours later that the pilot
hadn't been located and the search was still
underway.
The jets involved in the crash were from Strike
Fighter Squadron 94 and Strike Fighter Squadron
113.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to all involved,"
Groeneveld said.
The Carl Vinson strike group team departed San
Diego on Aug. 22 for what was announced as a 9
1/2-month deployment.
The F/A-18C is a twin-engine, single-seat strike
fighter, designed to function both as a fighter — in
roles such as engaging enemy aircraft — and as an
attack aircraft, bombing ground targets for
example. Fifty-six feet long and with a wingspan of
40½ feet, Hornet C models have been deployed
since the late 1980s.
Built by prime contractor McDonnell Douglas, the
jets are capable of flying at speeds greater than
Mach 1.7 and altitudes of more than 50,000 feet,
according to the Navy.
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