Navy F-14 Crashes; Crew Unhurt
A San Diego-based Navy Reserve F-14 fighter on an “aggressor” training exercise crashed Friday into the Gulf of Mexico after its two-man crew had ejected safely, officials said.
The pilot and radar intercept officer were rescued about 10 minutes after the plane went down at 9:45 p.m. PDT about 46 miles west of Key West, Fla., said Doug Sayers, spokesman for Miramar Naval Air Station.
The plane, attached to a Navy Reserve unit based in Miramar, was playing the part of an aggressor against U.S. forces and was one of four aircraft taking part in the exercise, said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Joe Gradisher, a Pentagon spokesman.
Sayers said the aviators, who were not identified, were pulled from the water by a rescue team from Key West Naval Air Station. The airmen were spending about a week at the air station for training, he said.
The Navy had no immediate explanation for the crash.
The F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine jet fighter designed to attack and destroy multiple airborne targets, both day and night and in all weather conditions.
Considered the premier air defense fighter for the Navy’s fleet, it has a crew of two and can track up to 24 targets simultaneously.
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