CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : EL CENTRO : 2 Navy Jets Collide; Pilots Escape Injury

Two Navy Blue Angel jets collided while on a training exercise over the Superstition Mountains near El Centro, but the pilots escaped serious injury, military officials said. One of the planes crashed, but its pilot, Marine Capt. Chase Moseley, ejected safely. The two FA-18 Hornets, part of the Navy’s precision flying team, collided while flying “a diamond formation maneuver” in a remote area near the El Centro Navy Air facility, the flying team’s winter training base, officials said. The other pilot, Cmdr. Pat Moneymaker, was able to land his jet.