--- title: "Marine Corps F/A-18 crashes in Washington state, sparks wildfire" description: "The pilot, from Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, safely ejected. The cause of the incident is under investigation." date: "2026-06-13" modified: "2026-06-13" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/marine-corps-fa-18-crash-washington/" categories: - "Marine Corps" - "Military Branches" - "News" tags: - "adsafety" --- # Marine Corps F/A-18 crashes in Washington state, sparks wildfire ![A U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 232 (Reinforced), Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, takes off to conduct a simulated suppression of enemy air defenses mission in support of exercise Arctic Defender at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, July 9, 2024. The simulated SEAD mission included aircraft from Germany, France, Spain, and the U.S. VMFA-232 (Rein.) is participating with approximately 360 Marines and 19 F/A-18 aircraft in Arctic Defender, a German Air Force-led exercise that provides a unique opportunity to integrate various forces into joint, coalition and multilateral training from simulated forward operating bases. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Luc Boatman) ]() *A F/A-18 Hornet from 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing takes off from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska in July 2024. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Luc Boatman.* A Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet crashed near Mount Rainier in Washington state this afternoon, sparking a wildfire in the area that required several helicopters to suppress. The crash happened at approximately noon today, the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing announced Saturday evening. The Hornet, part of Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, “experienced a non-fatal aviation mishap while conducting routine training.” The pilot ejected safely and was recovered by the local sheriff's department, the Marine Corps said. The Naches Fire Department, which responded to the fire, [added]() that the pilot was taken to a local hospital. The cause of the mishap is under investigation, the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing said. The crash occurred near Rimrock Lake, southeast of Mount Rainier. The Naches Fire Department said that campers are being evacuated from the area and that as of 4:45 p.m. local time that the “area should be avoided for the foreseeable future.” Multiple helicopters and at least one fire engine responded to the blaze. This is not the first crash to happen near Mount Rainier in recent years. In 2024, a Navy EA-18G Growler [crashed]() near the area on Oct. 15 during a “routine training mission,” killing the two members of its crew. The Growler crashed in a remote area near the mountain, with a large [search effort]() following, which included a Navy spy plane and soldiers from 1st Special Forces Group. ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()