F/A-18E Loss Only Fourth Navy Crash This Fiscal Year

ARLINGTON,
Va. — The U.S. Navy jet that crashed July 31 in Southern California is only the
fourth Navy aircraft to be lost in a crash so far in fiscal 2019, according to
records.

The F/A-18E
Super Hornet strike fighter, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 151, according
to a source, and based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, was on a
low-level flight through a feature called Star Wars Canyon in Death Valley
National Park when it crashed near a popular overlook that aviation
photographers and other tourists visit to watch jets streak through the canyon.
The crash caused minor injuries to seven civilian tourists at the overlook with
fire and flying debris.

As of mid-day
Aug. 1, the pilot of the single-seat Super Hornet was still missing. The Navy
had launched helicopters to participate in the search for the pilot.

So far this fiscal year,
aerial mishaps claimed an F/A-18F Super Hornet, an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter
and a T-45C Goshawk training jet. Until the July 31 mishap, no Navy aviators
had been killed in a mishap this year.