Two Die In Navy Jet Crash

An F-14D “Tomcat” fighter jet crashed into the Pacific Ocean during routine flight exercises off the Southern California coast Sunday, killing the two crew members, a Navy official said.

The jet was part of the Fighter Squadron 11, which was taking part in a two-week operation with the USS Carl Vinson, said Doug Sayers, spokesman for Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego.

The crash happened about 12:30 p.m. 120 miles off the coast, he said. The circumstances of the crash were not immediately known.

“I don’t know what the plane was doing, how close or how far it was from the carrier,” he said. “They were operating in an area we utilize off the coast that can take on everything from supersonic ranges to missile shoots.”

The names of the dead were being withheld pending notification of relatives.

Sunday’s crash was the 31st involving an F-14 jet since 1991.