Two US Navy jets in mid-air collision

Fallon - Two US Navy fighter aircraft have been involved in a mid-air collision during a routine training flight at the Fallon Range Training Complex in Nevada. Neither of the pilots was injured.

The US Navy News reports that the two F/A 18E Super Hornet multi-role fighter-bomber aircraft were assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 137 also known as VFA 137, which is based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore in California. Following the mid-air collision, one of the pilots successfully landed his damaged aircraft at the Fallon NAS (equivalent of an Air Force Base in the US Navy.) The other Super Hornet crashed in a remote area of the range. The pilot ejected safely and was recovered by a Search and Rescue team flying a Seahawk helicopter. The pilot was taken to a local medical facility for check-ups and has since been released. According to Internet sources, the F/A 18 has been a reliable and safe aircraft, but at least one serious accident occurred in San Diego, California, in 2008 when an F/A 18 aircraft crashed into houses and killed three people. The Hornet and it's upgraded version, the Super Hornet, are operated by the US Navy and Marines, as well as Canada, Australia, Spain, Kuwait, and Finland. The cause of the current crash is being investigated.