US Navy jet crashes into remote desert in Death Valley National Park, officials say

A U.S. Navy jet crashed Monday in Death Valley National Park, officials said.

The Navy Super Hornet crashed in a remote part of the Death Valley desert about 3 p.m., the National Park Service said. Only the pilot was hurt.

A search and rescue team took the pilot from the scene of the crash.

“The pilot was treated for minor injuries at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, and released later that night,” park officials said in a Tuesday news release.

No civilians or park tourists were hurt because the jet crashed in a remote area of the park, officials said.

The National Park Service and the Navy will coordinate cleaning any scrap that’s still in the wilderness area.

Officials are investigating the incident. They did not say what led to the crash.

The jet was based at the Naval Air Weapons Station in China Lake, about 70 miles southwest of the park in the Western Mojave Desert.

The F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet joined the Navy’s fleet in 1999, according to the U.S. Navy.

The Navy said the aircraft is “highly capable across the full mission spectrum.”

This story was originally published October 6, 2021 at 7:18 AM with the headline "US Navy jet crashes into remote desert in Death Valley National Park, officials say."