Saturday, June 4, 2022 - 2:44pm By The Leader Staff
Image of a U.S. Navy F/18 Hornet
Image of a U.S. Navy F/18 Hornet

The U.S. Navy reported Friday night (June 3) that one of its pilots based out of Naval Air Station Lemoore died after crashing a F/A-18E Super Hornet. Officials say the aviator was pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash site was located at Trona, an unincorporated Mojave Desert community about 25 miles northeast of Ridgecrest.

As of Saturday (June 4), the aviator had not been identified pending notification of the next of kin. Personnel from Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake Federal firefighters and naval security forces were on site.