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TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. (AP) — A Marine Corps jet crashed in the California desert and the pilot was killed, the service said Friday.
The F/A-18C warplane went down around 10:30 p.m. Thursday during a training mission at Twentynine Palms, according to a statement from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, the aircraft's San Diego-area base.
The sprawling Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center is located at Twentynine Palms, about 140 miles (225 kilometers) east of Los Angeles.
The pilot from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing was not immediately identified. He had flown from Miramar to Twentynine Palms to support the training mission, said Capt. Kurt Stahl, a spokesman for the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.
"We all feel like we lost a member of our family here today," he said.
The cause of the crash was under investigation.
The nature of the training mission was not specified.
The F/A-18C is a twin-engine fighter-attack aircraft capable of multiple types of missions.
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