Navy Declares Pilot in Death Valley Super Hornet Crash Dead
The pilot of a single-seat F/A-18E fighter that crashed on Wednesday has been declared dead, Navy officials said Thursday afternoon.
“The Navy has confirmed that the pilot of the F/A-18E Super Hornet that crashed July 31st died in the crash,” spokeswoman Lt. Cmdr. Lydia Bock told USNI News in a statement.
“The identity of the pilot will be withheld until 24 hours following notification of next of kin. The Navy mourns the loss of one of our own, and our hearts go out to the family and friends affected by this tragedy.”
The Super Hornet assigned to the “Vigilantes” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151, based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif., crashed at about 10 a.m. local time in the so-called “Star Wars Valley [sic, 'canyon'-Tif]” – a popular spot for military aviation photographers in the Death Valley National Park.
Father Crowley Overlook is positioned above what's called the Jedi Transition, from the valley to the desert floor; it's sort of a slightly less scenic version of the Mach Loop in the UK. It's the only National Park where military aircraft can fly at low level.
Seven civilians were injured by the crash.