Navy confirms pilot killed in Saturday’s crash

The U.S. Navy has determined that the pilot whose aircraft crashed Saturday afternoon on a training flight for the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center was killed in the accident.

The Navy confirmed Sunday morning that a debris field was found within a training area east of Naval Air Station Fallon, A spokeswoman said in accordance with Department of Defense policy, the name of the pilot will be withheld following notification of next of kin.

The Navy’s initial news release incorrectly identified the aircraft as a U.S. Navy Hornet, but it was actually a U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18C on loan to the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center for use as a training aircraft, said Lt. Reagan Lauritzen, a public affairs officer with the Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet in San Diego,

“Initial reports from the scene indicate the aircraft is a total loss,” Lauritzen added.

“It took Navy personnel several hours to reach the crash site as it was located in remote, rugged, mountainous terrain,” she said. “A snow storm overnight in the area also hindered the effort.”

Lauritzen said there are no reports of any other injuries or property damage associated with the crash.

Additionally, she said the aircraft was not carrying any weapons or other munitions on the training flight.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

There were no reports of any other injuries or damage as a result of the crash and the jet was not carrying any weapons or munitions on the training flight, the Navy said.

The F/A-18c had been conducting a training flight on the U.S. Navy Range Training Complex when it reportedly crashed at 3 p.m.