The Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives has a display for chaplains from World War I and II, including a Bible given to a sailor on the USS Hornet two days before the carrier launched Doolittle’s Raid:
RICH Read more
Two US Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornets collided off the coast of San Diego last week. One of the pilots ejected and was recovered; the other was able to land at Naval Station North Island.
This marks the latest in a steady stream of Marine Corps Hornet incidents that have claimed more than a half-dozen aircraft and several lives over the past year. Some media reports have implicated cost-cutting budget issues reducing training hours and Read more
The US Marine Corps ordered a safety stand down for all units of its (non-deployed) F/A-18s following a spate of Hornet crashes over the past few weeks:
The stand-down will provide “an operational pause for all [Marine Air Wings] not including deployed units,” said Capt. Sarah Burns, a spokesman for the Marines.
The pause will last one day and will be taken in the next seven days, Burns said. It will allow units to “discuss best practices and to look at ways to continue to improve,” she said.
Perhaps morbidly, the crashes appear to be creating Read more
Another F/A-18C, this one flown by the Navy (though on loan from the Marines), has crashed. The pilot ejected safely:
An F/A-18C Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Wing Pacific, Detachment Fallon, crashed into an open field near Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada, at approximately 10:50 a.m. PDT. The Navy pilot, who is assigned to Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center, ejected safely from the aircraft…
This follows the crash last week of a Marine F/A-18 that Read more
The US Marine Corps reported that Maj. Richard “Stranger” Norton died last week when his F/A-18C Hornet crashed in southern California. His unit was reportedly in training for an upcoming deployment. The news releases called for prayers for his family without further detail.
Articles reporting on the crash highlighted the Marine Corps’ concern that their pilots aren’t receiving sufficient training hours due to budget constraints, causing them to lose “proficiency,” though not technically be unsafe.
Though often taken for granted, Read more
US Marine Corps pilot Maj Taj Sareen was killed last Friday when his F/A-18C crashed shortly after takeoff near RAF Lakenheath in England. He was part of a unit that was returning from a six-month combat tour in the Middle East.
Reports indicate he ejected just prior to the crash but did not survive.
Sareen reportedly had a young daughter waiting for him back in California. Read more
The US Marine Corps has identified the pilot who was killed in the crash of his F/A-18C Hornet March 1st:
Captain Reid B. Nannen, 32, of Hopedale, Ill…died March 1 from injuries resulting from an F/A-18C Hornet crash on the Fallon Range Training Complex, approximately 70 miles east of Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev.
The reports also indicate Capt Nannen — “Eeyore” — was a TopGun Read more
Update: The Navy announced the pilot died in the crash. The name of the pilot has been withheld until 24 hours after notification of next-of-kin.
A US Marine Corps F/A-18C Hornet crashed on Saturday while supporting the Naval Strike and Warfare Center “Top Gun” course.
The Navy has issued several releases since then on the follow-up:
Initial reports from the scene indicate the aircraft is a total loss. It took Navy personnel several hours to reach the crash site as it was located in remote, rugged, mountainous terrain…
The reports say they are “continuing to search” for the pilot. Having located the aircraft, that is not a good omen.
Also at the Marine Corps Times, CNN, Christian Science Monitor, and the Stars and Stripes.
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