U.S. pilot survives crash of fighter jet in California

The pilot, who was not identified, ejected from the F/A-18 Super Hornet and was able to walk to arriving paramedics, according to the Associated Press. The crash occurred Monday afternoon in a dirt field about three miles south of the Lemoore Naval Air Station near Fresno. There were no other people aboard the jet and no explanation for the crash was offered, the AP said. Chief Bill Lynch of the KIngs County Fire Dept. said the pilot was able to get up after parachuting to the ground and walked to emergency personnel. the AP said. The airfield was shut down for several hours after the crash but resumed regular operations after that. The crash caused a small fire that was extinguished without having to close any roads in the area, the California Highway Patrol said. LeMoore air station is a West Coast center for Navy fighter jet operations and has witnessed several crashes over the years, the AP said. Two F/A-18 Super Hornets from the base crashed into the Pacific Ocean last year after a mission involving the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson. Another F/A-18 Super Hornet crashed in May after taking off from the carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Persian Gulf, the AP said.