Officials: Navy jet crashes in Calif., pilot ejects safely
FRESNO, Calif. -- A plane crashed near a Central California military base but not before authorities say the pilot ejected in midair and safely parachuted to the ground.
Kings County Fire Chief Bill Lynch tells The Sentinel newspaper in Hanford that the pilot walked to emergency responders after reaching the ground Monday afternoon.
California Highway Patrol Officer Scott Jobinger says the plane went down in a dirt field about 3 miles from Lemoore Naval Air Station.
Jobinger says a fire from the crash has been extinguished, and no roads have been closed.
The Naval Air Station Lemoore Public Affairs Office says the plane was a FA-18E Super Hornet assigned to Lemoore Naval Air Station and the cause of the crash is under investigation.
The office says the pilot "ejected safely an is in good condition" and that no other injuries have been reported.
Lemoore Naval Air Station, about 45 miles south of Fresno, is a center for the Navy's West Coast FA-18 fighter jet operations.
CBS Fresno affiliate KGPE reports the FA-18 aircraft is capable of traveling more than 1,000 mph.