Pilots Unhurt as Navy Jet and Civilian Glider Collide
A Navy A-7E jet collided with a civilian glider above northern San Diego County Sunday afternoon, but authorities said that no one was injured and the accident caused only minor damage.
The jet and the glider met at 2:45 p.m. near Warner Springs, said Bob Swanson, watch supervisor for the Federal Aviation Administration in San Diego.
The pilots of the two aircraft were the only people aboard, authorities said.
The FAA and the Navy will conduct separate investigations of the incident, officials said.
The two aircraft collided at an altitude of 6,500 feet, said Mitzi Conaway, a spokeswoman for the Naval Air Station at Miramar. Following the accident, Conaway said, the Navy jet landed at Miramar, where damage was being assessed.
Authorities identified the pilot of the Navy jet as as Lt. Kevin Hutchinson, who was based at the Naval Air Station at Lemoore, in Central California. The jet was on a routine low-level navigation training run with a refueling stop scheduled at Miramar, said Dennis McGrath, a Navy spokesman. The jet carried no ordnance, McGrath said.
The glider was able to land safely at the Warner Springs airport, said Swanson. The identity of the pilot was not immediately known.
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