An F/A-18 Hornet jet crashed in the eastern part of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar late Thursday night, killing the pilot.
"An F/A-18D Hornet belonging to Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA (AW)) 224 crashed in the vicinity of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar at 11:54 p.m. PST. Thursday.
Search and rescue recovered the U.S. Marine Corps pilot who has been confirmed deceased at the site. The pilot was the only person aboard the aircraft. With a heavy heart, our condolences go to the Marine’s family during this time.
As a matter of policy, identities of service members are not released until 24 hours after all next-of-kin notifications have been completed. An investigation is underway."
The crash site is on government property east of the air station and there are no indications of damage to property on the ground.
The F/A-18 is a multirole combat aircraft flown by the Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy.
(Photo Getty Images)