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2 US Fighter Jets Collide Off San Diego Coast; Pilots Safe


A U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet aircraft takes off during a tour of the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier on patrol in the South China Sea, May 23, 2013.
A U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet aircraft takes off during a tour of the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier on patrol in the South China Sea, May 23, 2013.

Two Marine fighter jets on a training mission collided Wednesday over the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, with one pilot landing nearby and the other ejecting safely, military officials said.

The pilots, each in a single-seat F/A-18 Hornet, were taken to nearby medical facilities and were in stable condition, Marine Corps officials said.

The pilot who ejected landed in the ocean and was rescued by the USS Carl Vinson. The second pilot landed at the Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego.

The cause of the collision is under investigation.

The jets belonged to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing stationed at the Marine Corps' air station at Miramar in San Diego.

This incident follows the crash of another F/A-18 Hornet in the California desert late last month. The pilot in the October 25 crash ejected safely near the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, located east of Los Angeles.

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