Uncle Sam
04-22-2004, 09:05 PM
http://www.*******.com
LOS ANGELES, California (*******) -- The wreckage of a Marine Corps jet fighter that disappeared during a training mission overnight was discovered Thursday in the California desert with no sign of its pilot, military officials said.
The F/A-18 Hornet jet fighter vanished after leaving Marine Corps Air Station Miramar near San Diego with another jet at 8 p.m. PT (11 p.m. ET), a base spokesman, Capt. Mike Friel, said. The two aircraft were en route to Yuma, Arizona.
A search began a half-hour after takeoff when the lead jet lost communication with the other aircraft, officials said.
At about the same time, residents of Glamis, a small community on the edge of the Imperial Sand Dunes, reported seeing a flash of light, local media said.
The wreckage was found south of Glamis, about 119 miles (192 km) east of the Miramar air station, at about 9 a.m. PT (noon ET) Thursday, but there was no sign of the pilot, whose name has not been made public.
"They are searching for a pilot (but) they haven't identified whether he was inside the aircraft or not," Yuma Marine Corps Air Station spokesman, Capt. Kevin Hyde said.
"They have to approach the aircraft very carefully. There could be ... dangerous things on it that could explode."
The $29 million single-seat Hornet, manufactured by Boeing Co. , is a fighter and attack aircraft used by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, according to the Navy Web site.
LOS ANGELES, California (*******) -- The wreckage of a Marine Corps jet fighter that disappeared during a training mission overnight was discovered Thursday in the California desert with no sign of its pilot, military officials said.
The F/A-18 Hornet jet fighter vanished after leaving Marine Corps Air Station Miramar near San Diego with another jet at 8 p.m. PT (11 p.m. ET), a base spokesman, Capt. Mike Friel, said. The two aircraft were en route to Yuma, Arizona.
A search began a half-hour after takeoff when the lead jet lost communication with the other aircraft, officials said.
At about the same time, residents of Glamis, a small community on the edge of the Imperial Sand Dunes, reported seeing a flash of light, local media said.
The wreckage was found south of Glamis, about 119 miles (192 km) east of the Miramar air station, at about 9 a.m. PT (noon ET) Thursday, but there was no sign of the pilot, whose name has not been made public.
"They are searching for a pilot (but) they haven't identified whether he was inside the aircraft or not," Yuma Marine Corps Air Station spokesman, Capt. Kevin Hyde said.
"They have to approach the aircraft very carefully. There could be ... dangerous things on it that could explode."
The $29 million single-seat Hornet, manufactured by Boeing Co. , is a fighter and attack aircraft used by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, according to the Navy Web site.