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| Date: | Wednesday 14 March 2018 |
| Time: | 16:30 LT |
| Type: |  Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet |
| Owner/operator: | VFA-213 US Navy |
| Registration: | 166683 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | off the coast of Key West, FL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | NAS Oceana |
| NAS Key West |
The fighter jet crashed off the coast of Key West after caught fire mid-air near the Naval Air Station Key West. Both occupants ejected and were recovered by helicopter about one mile east of the runway and taken to the Lower Keys Medical Center.
Lt. Cmdr. James Brice Johnson and Lt. Caleb Nathaniel King, both Florida residents, were on board and declared dead shortly after they were recovered in the water.
28 March 2018: First investigations revealed that the jet was flying with only one engine as it attempted to land, according to the Naval Safety Center. It’s unclear how long one of the engines had been out before the accident.
Sources:
http://web.archive.org/web/20180315084457/http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=104719
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/03/14/navy-fa-18-jet-crashes-off-key-west-official-says.html
http://www.flkeysnews.com/news/local/article205190754.html
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-navy/2018/03/15/eyewitness-report-fa-18f-exploded-before-fatal-crash/
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us-navy-identifies-two-aviators-who-were-killed-in-florida-crash_2467505.html
https://www.stripes.com/news/us/navy-jet-that-crashed-near-key-west-was-flying-with-1-engine-document-says-1.519126
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/the-militarys-run-of-fatal-accidents-coincidence-or-crisis
http://lostarmour.info/aflosses/item.php?id=17547
Media:
Eyewitness report: Navy F/A-18F exploded before fatal crash, Key West, Florida, USA.
— Planes Of Legend (@PlanesOfLegend) 15 mars 2018
https://t.co/quFfZ2Ys8A pic.twitter.com/bWYeUNkMoD
#HonorTheFallen: #USNavy identifies deceased Sailors in F/A-18F crash - https://t.co/apptLQreG5 @flynavy pic.twitter.com/5TQMZVN8ir
— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) March 16, 2018
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 14-Mar-2018 23:51 | Iceman 29 | Added |
| 14-Mar-2018 23:51 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Total occupants, Other fatalities, ] |
| 14-Mar-2018 23:52 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Narrative, ] |
| 15-Mar-2018 00:48 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Time, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 15-Mar-2018 00:48 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Total fatalities, ] |
| 15-Mar-2018 06:31 | sinfu2a | Updated [Total fatalities, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 15-Mar-2018 06:42 | Black Typhoon | Updated [Aircraft type, Total fatalities, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, ] |
| 15-Mar-2018 07:19 | Aerossurance | Updated [Aircraft type, Nature, ] |
| 15-Mar-2018 07:37 | Aerossurance | Updated [Operator, ] |
| 15-Mar-2018 20:44 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Embed code, ] |
| 16-Mar-2018 06:25 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
| 28-Mar-2018 08:08 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Phase, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
| 09-Apr-2018 06:30 | sinfu2a | Updated [Registration, Source, ] |
| 08-Feb-2020 18:24 | Iwosh | Updated [Operator, Operator, ] |
| 11-Feb-2020 20:21 | Iwosh | Updated [Operator, Operator, ] |
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