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Navy F-18 Fighter Jet Crashes In Death Valley National Park, Injuries Reported

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By Kurt Repanshek - July 31st, 2019
Navy fighter jet crashes in Death Valley National Park

A Navy fighter jet crashed Wednesday near Father Crowley Overlook in Death Valley National Park.

An F-18 fighter jet on a training flight crashed in Death Valley National Park on Wednesday, with debris injuring several visitors at the Father Crowley Overlook on the west side of the park. There was no immediate word on the fate of the pilot.

"The first rangers on scene reported that there were minor injuries to the visitors that were standing in that area. We're still working to get what the exact nature of that is," Patrick Taylor, the park's chief of interpretation, said Wednesday afternoon. "At the time, nothing was reported life threatening. A Navy helicopter arrived shortly after the rangers. They took over all the management of the actual downed aircraft."

The ranger said there was a group of seven visitors at the overlook, but didn't know how many were injured when the jet crashed about 10 a.m.

Taylor said that area of the park typically is used by the Navy for training flights. Father Crowley Overlook is on the edge of Rainbow Canyon, which is known anecdotally to some as Star Wars Canyon. The overlook provides a view of dark lava flows and volcanic cinders.

"It's a pretty steep canyon that runs right along Highway 190, and the Father Crowley Overlook kind of juts out into the canyon a little bit," said Chief Taylor. "I don't remember the depth of the canyon right off, but it's several hundred feet down. Typically maybe a third of a mile across, but it gets really deep really fast and opens up into the Panamint Valley, which is a much, much bigger valley. The jets typically drop into the canyon and fly out Panamint Valley."

The ranger didn't know at what elevation the jet struck the canyon, though he said it was close to the parking area, which is about a third of the way down into the canyon.

Comments

Submitted by y_p_w on August 1, 2019 - 2:58pm.

I feel kind of silly because I contacted Kurt about this even though he wrote the article yesterday.  Didn't see it because it wasn't at the top of the news.


Submitted by Lee Dalton on August 1, 2019 - 4:09pm.

Here is what Flying Magazine reported today:

"Seven people at a scenic overlook in California's Death Valley National Park suffered injuries after a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet crashed on Wednesday, officials said.

Aviation enthusiasts routinely come to see military fighters flying low through what has unofficially been dubbed Star Wars Canyon.

Debris was scattered across the canyon as a dark billow of smoke went up from the crash site. A search was underway for the pilot, according to the Navy.

 

Local media reported that seven park visitors sustained minor injuries that included burns and cuts from flying debris after the Navy jet crashed and exploded.

One injured tourist told KABC he was taking photos when the jet appeared into view and suddenly crashed into the canyon wall.

Officially known as Rainbow Canyon, the spot, about 150 miles north of Los Angeles, is a popular plane-spotting location as military fighters fly almost daily at high speed through in the deep, narrow chasm, passing so close that visitors almost feel they can reach out and touch the jets.

The canyon received its nickname because it recalls the home planet of Luke Skywalker from the "Star Wars" film franchise. It has been used for low-level military flight training since World War II.

A second jet that was trailing the downed F/A-18 pulled up and began circling, according to local media reports. Witnesses reported they did not see the pilot eject before the impact.

The jets were from Fighter Squadron VFA-151 stationed at Lemoore, California, and attached to the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, according to the Navy, which is investigating the cause of the crash."

Flying editor Stephen Pope wrote the report. 

And here is a link to a video posted to YouTube.  It is silent, but anyone who has visited Father Crowley Overlook will recognize the place.  It's apparent that the impact was immediately below the road, parking area, and overlook itself. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx0mUND6Ayk

And if this works, it should take you to a Google Maps view of the location: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Father+Crowley+Overlook/@36.3581977,-117.5323008,14919m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x80c095808954af4f:0xf085f98b1a547a79!8m2!3d36.3518636!4d-117.5507336?hl=en


Submitted by Mike Painter on August 2, 2019 - 4:26pm.

Here's an update from the LA Times: Navy names pilot who died in Death Valley crash

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-08-02/navy-names-pilot-who...


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