A United States fighter jet crashed into a ball of flames near Rimrock Lake, a popular recreation area in Washington state, leaving horrified witnesses in shock.
Crash Details
The military plane went down, with thick black smoke billowing above the forest landscape. Onlookers saw the pilot eject from the jet seconds before the crash. One woman filming the scene initially mistook the ejecting pilot for a parachutist before realizing the severity of the incident.
Emergency Response
Naches Fire confirmed crews were dispatched to what it described as a "downed military aircraft" near the lake. The crash sparked a wildfire that is currently being suppressed by helicopters and at least one engine from the U.S. Forest Service - Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.
Official Statement
A Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing statement said the crash around midday was a “non-fatal aviation mishap” involving one of its F/A-18 Hornet aircraft based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California.
