The Virginian-Pilot is reporting the crash of two Boeing F/A-18 Hornets off the coast of North Carolina during a training mission. Four people have been recovered and have been rushed to the hospital.
Petty Officer Fagal Nifin of the U.S. Coast Guard stated four aircrew have been recovered from the water following the crash and have been airlifted to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital– the area’s only Level I Trauma Center. That said, we do not know how many of the aircrew sustained injuries, nor the extent they were injured.
There are large Military Operations Areas off the coast of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, so that airspace is frequently used by the fighter bases of the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps for their training activities. As you all know, the Navy has Hornets in NAS Oceana near Virginia Beach, and the Marine Corps also flies F/A-18s down the coast in North Carolina.
We’ll have more information about the crash as it becomes available.
The original article can be viewed here.
(Featured Photo by Scott Wolff)