Navy fighter jet crashes in California desert near China Lake base, officials say

A U.S. Navy fighter jet crashed Tuesday “during a routine training flight” in the California desert and started a small fire, officials confirmed.

The jet went down near Highway 178 and Highway 14 around 10:10 a.m. and spread debris, the Visalia Times Delta reported.

Emergency dispatchers said “munitions” were on board, but it’s unknown if bullets or bombs were activated, according to the publication. The pilot ejected and was examined at a local hospital.

Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake confirmed on Facebook that there was a downed aircraft but asked users to refrain from posting on social media “as a respect to associated family members.”

“The U.S. Navy is cooperating fully with local authorities,” Naval Air Station Lemoore wrote in a social media post about the downed F/A-18E Super Hornet.

The plane crash sparked a small fire, and units from China Lake were helping with the blaze, the Kern County Fire Department said, according to Turnto23.

This story was originally published October 20, 2020 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Navy fighter jet crashes in California desert near China Lake base, officials say."