Two Navy pilots are safe after a military fighter jet crashed in the San Diego Bay in California, officials said Wednesday.
U.S. Navy officials told CBS News that both pilots ejected from the plane around 10:17 a.m. local time before it crashed into the water. They were the only people aboard the aircraft, which a Navy official identified as an EA-18G Growler, a variant of the F/A-18F Super Hornet. The wreckage police described as a “large debris field” was near Naval Air Station North Island, home to Naval Base Coronado.
The pilots were rescued by the Premier, a fishing vessel owned by a local charter company, only a minute after they entered the water, the Coast Guard told CBS News.
“Upon observing the pilots eject, the crew of the Premier quickly navigated toward the pilots before they even hit the water,” H&M Landing said in a statement.
“We are relieved and grateful to have had one of our vessels in the right place at the right time,” the company’s general manager Frank Ursitti said.
The pilots were then transferred to a small U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations boat that was on the scene when the incident occurred, the Coast Guard said.
Both pilots were reported to be in stable condition, the Coast Guard said. They were taken to an area hospital.
A City of San Diego spokesperson said officials had been on the way to the harbor with a dive team, but the response was canceled after officials were told the pilots had been rescued. The San Diego Police Department is managing traffic on the shore, the city said.
Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University’s Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News’ TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.
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