Update: Link to new post March 3, 2009
An F-18 jet crashed in a San Diego neighborhood a few hours ago. Apparently the pilot ejected before the crash, but it looks like the jet hit a house.
The article says that the neighborhood is densely populated. Take a look at the video. LOTS of houses there. I don't know how bad it was for people on the ground, but it looks like it could have been a lot worse.
Disclaimer: I found the video while I was sitting in the tutoring lab at school. I didn't listen to it because I didn't want to disturb the other people around, so I don't really know anything that they talk about during the video. I just thought that it looked pretty scary.
UPDATE: 12/8/08 6:00 p.m. : Unfortunately, there were three deaths with a fourth person still unaccounted for in one of the houses destroyed by the crash. Two or three homes were destroyed.
I found this L.A. Times article that refers to the aircraft as being crippled. I assume there is probably some sort of standard operating procedure that prohibits flying a damaged aircraft over a heavily populated area, so I guess that whatever happened to it must have happened too late for the pilot to avoid the neighborhood.
From the L.A. Times:
This is certainly a tragic situation for all involved. It appears that the pilot was taking action to avoid hurting anyone on the ground, but wasn't able to do it. Very sad.
An F-18 jet crashed in a San Diego neighborhood a few hours ago. Apparently the pilot ejected before the crash, but it looks like the jet hit a house.
The article says that the neighborhood is densely populated. Take a look at the video. LOTS of houses there. I don't know how bad it was for people on the ground, but it looks like it could have been a lot worse.
Disclaimer: I found the video while I was sitting in the tutoring lab at school. I didn't listen to it because I didn't want to disturb the other people around, so I don't really know anything that they talk about during the video. I just thought that it looked pretty scary.
UPDATE: 12/8/08 6:00 p.m. : Unfortunately, there were three deaths with a fourth person still unaccounted for in one of the houses destroyed by the crash. Two or three homes were destroyed.
I found this L.A. Times article that refers to the aircraft as being crippled. I assume there is probably some sort of standard operating procedure that prohibits flying a damaged aircraft over a heavily populated area, so I guess that whatever happened to it must have happened too late for the pilot to avoid the neighborhood.
From the L.A. Times:
Marine officials told The Times the pilot was part of a training squadron and that he was trying to aim the plane at a deserted canyon to avoid slamming into homes or nearby Interstate 805. He had taken off from the carrier Abraham Lincoln several miles off the coast. His destination was the air station. Marine Col. Chris O'Connor pledged an in-depth investigation and to see "that the neighborhood is cleaned up as quickly as possible."
Jason Widmer, who was working in the neighborhood, talked to the pilot after he ejected and landed.
"He was pretty shook up," Widmer said. "And pretty concerned if he had killed anyone. He had seen his bird go into a house."
This is certainly a tragic situation for all involved. It appears that the pilot was taking action to avoid hurting anyone on the ground, but wasn't able to do it. Very sad.
2 comments:
Holy crap. Thanks for posting this. I had not heard about it until I read your post.
Very sad situation.
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