---
title: "Navy pilot ejects safely as F/A-18E Super Hornet crashes in California"
description: "A pilot ejected safely from a Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet, which crashed on Tuesday during a training flight near Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California, Navy officials said"
date: "2020-10-20"
modified: "2020-10-20"
authors:
  - name: "Jeff Schogol"
    job_title: "Senior Pentagon Reporter"
    link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/jeff-schogol/"
url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-fa-18e-super-hornet-crash-china-lake/"
categories:
  - "Aircraft"
  - "Around the World"
  - "Fighter Aircraft"
  - "Military Branches"
  - "Navy"
  - "News"
  - "Tech & Tactics"
  - "United States"
tags:
  - "Crash"
  - "Northern Command"
---

# Navy pilot ejects safely as F/A-18E Super Hornet crashes in California

![](<https://taskandpurpose.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/29460669584_76ee582eb1_k.jpg>)

A pilot ejected safely from a Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet which crashed on Tuesday during a training flight near Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California, Navy officials said.

The plane went down at about 10:10 a.m. local time after taking off from Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, said Cmdr. Zach Harrell a spokesman for the commander of Naval Air Forces.

The pilot was released from a local medical facility later on Tuesday following a thorough examination, said Lt. Cmd. Lydia Ellen Bock, a spokeswoman for the commander of Strike Fighter Wing Pacific.

“The Navy is continuing its investigation in cooperation with local authorities,” Bock said in a statement. “For the safety of the public and to allow for a complete investigation, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has issued an Emergency Closure Order surrounding the crash site.”

Tuesday’s crash comes exactly three weeks after [a Marine Corps F-35B crashed](<https://taskandpurpose.com/news/marine-corps-f35-crash-video/>) in southern California after colliding with a KC-130J tanker, which made an emergency landing.

The F-35 pilot ejected successfully and KC-130 crew members were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

*This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as more information becomes available.*

## Author
Jeff Schogol is the senior Pentagon reporter for Task & Purpose. He reports on both the Defense Department as a whole as well as individual services, covering a variety of topics that include personnel, policy, military justice, deployments, and technology.

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