A pilot was rescued after a U.S. Navy F\/A-18E Super Hornet crashed into ocean waters off the coast of Virginia on Wednesday morning, officials said. <\/p>\n
A little before 10 a.m. ET, a pilot assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 83 ejected from a Super Hornet during a routine training flight, according to a statement from Navy spokesperson Lt. Jackie Parashar.<\/p>\n
Search teams were deployed and the pilot was rescued at about 11:21 a.m., Parashar said. <\/p>\n
The pilot, whose condition was not confirmed, was taken to a hospital for a medical evaluation. \u00a0<\/p>\n
The crashed jet has not yet been recovered from the water, Parashar said. The cause of the crash is under investigation. <\/p>\n
Strike Fighter Squadron 83 is based out of Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach. <\/p>\n
This marks the sixth F-18 that the Navy has lost in the last ten months. <\/p>\n
In October 2024, two pilots were killed<\/a> when an EA-18G Growler, a variant of the F\/A-18E Super Hornet, crashed near<\/a> Washington state’s Mount Rainier, also during a routine training flight. <\/p>\n Then in December, U.S. Central Command reported that a Super Hornet assigned to the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea\u00a0was accidentally shot down<\/a> by friendly fire from the guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg. The two pilots aboard ejected safely.<\/p>\n In February, a Growler crashed in the San Diego Bay<\/a> in Southern California, near Naval Base Coronado. Both pilots ejected and were rescued by a charter fishing boat. <\/p>\n In April, a Super Hornet fell overboard<\/a> off the USS Harry S. Truman and into the Red Sea while it was being towed into a hangar bay, the Navy said. There were no serious injuries.<\/p>\n About one week later, in early May, a Super Hornet fighter jet went overboard as well<\/a> while attempting to land on the flight deck of the USS Harry S. Truman. At the time, a Defense Department official told CBS News that an arrestment \u2014 a mechanism used to catch a fighter jet and safely slow it down \u2014 had failed. Both pilots were able to safely eject. <\/p>\n The Super Hornet has a production cost<\/a> of about $67 million, according to the Navy.\u00a0<\/p>\n Eleanor Watson<\/a> and <\/p>\n Charlie D’Agata<\/a><\/p>\n contributed to this report.\n <\/p>\n \n More from CBS News\n <\/p>\n