The State : F-14A Crashes in Nevada

An F-14A Tomcat jet fighter based at Miramar Naval Air Station crashed Thursday in the Nevada desert, bringing to three the number of F-14As that have gone down in the last 10 days. Both fliers aboard the jet ejected and suffered only minor injuries, according to Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Robert Pritchard. The jet crashed shortly after noon in an unpopulated area 45 miles northeast of Fallon Naval Air Station in northern Nevada, Pritchard said. The plane and its crew, from Miramar Fighter Squadron 2, were in Nevada to participate in annual training exercises. “It’s too early to say anything conclusive, but the cause does not appear to be mechanical,” Pritchard said. On Sept. 12, an F-14A Tomcat from Miramar went out of control and crashed into two hangars at Gillespie Field in El Cajon. The cause of that crash is under investigation. Both crew members ejected but one died the next day.