Associated Press
MANAMA, Bahrain – A single-seat U.S. Navy fighter jet presumably crashed in the Gulf shortly after taking off today from the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, the Navy said.
The pilot of the F/A-18C Hornet strike fighter lost communication with the aircraft carrier shortly after roaring off the deck at 9:30 a.m. local time for a routine test on carrier landings, said Cmdr. Jeff Gradeck of the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet.
The aircraft carrier’s home port is Everett. It arrived on station in the Gulf on Sept. 24. The single-seat fighter jet was assigned to Carrier Air Wing 14.
Crews from the Lincoln, aided by other naval units in the northern Gulf, were searching for the missing plane and pilot, he said. He would not be specific about the location.
The pilot’s name was not being released immediately and the incident was under investigation, Gradeck said.
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