Navy F/A-18 jet crash off Key West leaves 2 aviators dead

Two U.S. Navy aviators died Wednesday after the F/A-18F Super Hornet jet they were flight training in crashed off the coast of Key West, Florida.

The aviators -- one pilot and one weapons systems officer -- ejected from the twin-engine jet, which crashed around 4:30 p.m. on final approach to Boca Chica Field at Naval Air Station Key West, the Navy said in a statement. A source told Fox News that the jet was flying back on one engine when it lost the other at low altitude.

Both crew members, based out of Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Virginia, were taken to the Lower Keys Medical Center.

A marina owner in the Florida Keys told WPLG that the Hornet jet caught fire mid-air, then crashed. 

The Super Hornet is a twin-engine fighter jet that is larger than the single-seat F/A-18 Hornet.

The Department of Defense will not identify the aviators publicly until 24 hours after their families are notified. The crash remains under investigation.

Full Story on FoxNews.com


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content