April 6, 2012
F/A-18 Crashes in Virginia Beach
From Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic Public Affairs
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (NNS) — An F/A-18D assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106 crashed in Virginia Beach, Va. April 6.
Initial reports indicate that at approximately 12:05 p.m., the jet crashed just after takeoff at a location just off of the base.
Both aircrew safely ejected from the aircraft.
VFA-106 is based at Naval Air Station Oceana, and serves as the East Coast Fleet Replacement Squadron. Their mission is to train Navy and Marine Corps F/A-18 Replacement Pilots and Weapon Systems Officers (WSOs) to support fleet commitments.
The Navy is coordinating with local authorities.