Two F/A-18 jets collided Thursday, resulting in a crash about 250 miles from Wake Island in Guam. A pilot was rescued immediately after the incident and is recuperating, while the search for the other continues.
Both aircraft were part of Carrier Air Wing 17 from the Strike Fighter Squadrons 94 and 113 on board the Carl Vinson aircraft carrier. Aside from the aircraft carrier, the USS Gridley, USS Bunker Hill, the USS Dewey, USS Sterett, and helicopters from the Carl Vinson Strike group were deployed to expedite the search.
Helicopters are searching the area from the air, flying in search patterns to cover ground efficiently. This will make spotting signs of where the missing pilot may be easier. "The search assets include a variety of sensors from FLIR (Forward-Looking Infra-red) sensors on the MH-60s to the naked human eye. FLIR comes in handy at night because you can pick up a heat signature," said 7th Fleet spokesperson Navy Lt. Lauren Cole.
She adds that while there are different sorts of factors to consider in a search, the Navy will be using all means necessary to guarantee that search-and-rescue mission is as thorough and exhaustive as possible.
The incident is still under investigation so the exact cause of the crash has yet to be determined. Preliminary analysis, however, points to a collision between the two F/A-18 C Hornets. The jets have yet to be recovered as well.
The Carl Vinson is assigned to the Indo-Asia-Pacific region, scheduled to participate in a military exercise in Guam from Sept. 15 to 23. Called Valiant Shield, the exercise will involve two aircraft carriers, over 200 aircraft, 19 surface ships, and around 18,000 personnel from the Marine Corps, Air Force, Navy, and Army.
However, due to the recent incident, Carl Vinson will no longer be participating. In as much as Valiant Shield is an important exercise, the aircraft carrier will be focusing on search and recovery efforts to find the missing pilot at the soonest time.
Thursday's incident adds to the recent string of crashes involving military aircraft. An F/A-18E Super Hornet crashed in June as it was getting ready to land on the Carl Vinson while a Harrier AV-8B fighter jet plowed through a neighborhood in Southern California just hours later. Earlier than these, a Marine Corps Harrier jet crashed in Phoenix and a fighter jet crash in Nevada resulted in one casualty.
Capable of speeds beyond Mach 1.7 and heights of over 50,000 feet, the F/A-18C Hornets have been in deployment since late 1980s.
