2 Eject Safely Before Crash of El Toro Jet

Two Marines based at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station parachuted to safety Thursday just before their fighter jet crashed seven miles west of the Naval Air Station in El Centro, authorities said.

The fliers, who were not identified, were the pilot and weapons systems officer of a $28-million McDonnell Douglas F/A-18D Hornet fighter jet, said Sgt. Chris Cox, a spokesman for the El Toro base. The Marines were taking part in a training exercise but the cause of the crash is unknown, pending an investigation, Cox said.

Cox said the two men ejected from the jet before it crashed.

“These jets are specifically packed for this kind of emergency,” Cox said.

The two servicemen were members of the Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101 stationed at El Toro.

“We do everything we can to prevent this kind of incident, but sometimes it just happens,” Cox said.

The Hornet is one of two primary jets--the AV 8B Harrier II is the other--used by the Marine Corps. The Hornet has been manufactured since 1970 but became part of the Marine Corps arsenal in 1985, Cox said.

Cox said the Marine Corps is in the process of transferring all its jet fighter squadrons to Miramar Air Base near San Diego. Only one tactical squadron of 12 or 13 jets and the training squadron of from 25 to 30 jets remain at El Toro, Cox said.

He didn’t know in what kind of terrain the plane crashed.