Miramar, Calif., 5 June 2014. Officials at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar in California have announced that an AV-8B Harrier stationed at the Third Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in Arizona crashed in Imperial, Calif., at approximately 4:20 p.m. on 4 June 2014.
“Civilian homes were impacted. Damage assessments are being conducted. Injuries to civilians in the area are unknown at this time,” an MCAS Miramar announcement reads.
The pilot ejected safely, and was transported to a local hospital for evaluation.
One house was impacted and engulfed in flame as a result of the crash, and two other houses caught fire, according to members of the California Highway Patrol.
Local authorities are on the scene of the crash, the fires have been extinguished, and the damage is being assessed. Officials are launching an investigation into the cause of the crash.
Today’s accident is the second crash of a Harrier jet from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in a month.
On 9 May 2014, a military pilot ejected safely before the jet crashed in a remote desert area south of Phoenix in Arizona. The plane exploded, and no one was injured.
The Harrier, also known as the Jump Jet, is a family of military jet aircraft capable of vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) operations.
