F-14 Navy Jet Crashes in Nevada; It’s the Third Such Crash in Last 11 Days
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FALLON NAVAL AIR STATION, Nev. — A Navy F-14 jet fighter crashed in a barren area of northwestern Nevada Thursday after its two crewmen ejected safely, the Navy said. It was the 100th crash of an F-14, the third in 11 days.
The $40-million jet was demolished when it crashed in the desert 50 miles northeast of here during a routine training mission, said Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Bob Pritchard.
The pilot and radar-interceptor officer, whose names were withheld, escaped injury after parachuting from the cockpit, Pritchard said. No civilians were injured on the ground and no property was damaged.
He said Navy officials conducting a preliminary investigation were not able to pinpoint the cause of the crash but found no evidence of engine or equipment failure.
Thursday’s crash came 10 days after two F-14s crashed Sept. 12, one off the coast of North Carolina and one at a civilian airport in El Cajon, Calif., outside San Diego.
The El Cajon crash killed a crewman, Lt. j.g. Randall Furtado, and seriously injured the jet’s pilot, Lt. Cmdr. Jim Barnett, and three civilian airport workers.
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