Navy rescues pilot after Hawker Hunter training jet crashes into Pacific off California

A Mk.58 Hawker Hunter fighter, flown by Airborne Tactical Advantage Company for U.S. military training, suffered a loss of engine power and crashed into the Pacific Ocean about six miles northwest of Morro Bay on Tuesday night. The pilot radioed “Mayday” before attempting to reach the nearest airport, and a Navy rescue crew from Naval Aviation Station Lemoore extracted him, transporting him to a trauma facility; his health status has not been released.

Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach was alerted and later searched the area, finding no wreckage, while cautioning vessels about the jet’s estimated 400-1,000 gallons of fuel. The aircraft, equipped with a Martin-Baker ejection seat, may have been abandoned by the pilot prior to impact. This crash mirrors earlier incidents: an October Hawker Hunter loss near Big Sur and a 2022 Atlantic crash that injured a pilot after a fuel-pump bearing failure. Authorities will investigate potential environmental hazards.