Posted on 06/15/2026 5:11:58 AM PDT by T.B. Yoits
An F/A-18D Legacy Hornet belonging to VMFA-323 crashed while flying the VR-1355 low-level route in Washington State, with the pilot’s ejection caught on camera.
On Jun. 13, 2026, at approximately 12.00 PDT an F/A-18D Hornet aircraft assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, crashed approximately 55 miles southeast of Seattle, while conducting a routine training mission
The pilot ejected safely and was recovered by the local sheriff’s department.
“The cause of the mishap is currently under investigation,” says an official 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing press release.
Interestingly, clips of the single pilot ejecting from the two-seat Legacy Hornet have almost immediately started circulating online, showing also the explosion following the impact of the jet with led to the ignition of the Pine Tree Fire, which has grown to two acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
The mishap took place along the Visual Route 1355, one of the low level routes running through national parks in the Cascade Mountains.
Colloquially called the “million dollar ride” for both the scenic views and the fun and “aggressive” flying that can be done through the valleys, VR-1355 is one of the most popular low level routes among the Growler squadrons based at NASWI.
While the U.S. Marine Corps did not provide any details about the exact type or unit of the Legacy Hornet that crashed on Jun. 13, the aircraft was almost immediately identified as BuNo 165412, tail code WS-415, from VMFA-323 “Death Rattlers,” based at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar in California, flying as SNAKE 21. The identification was made possible thanks to photographs of the aircraft departing King County International Airport – Boeing Field where the “Death Rattlers” Legacy Hornets from MCAS Miramar had deployed.
(Excerpt) Read more at theaviationist.com ...
Aviation ping!......................
https://boltflight.com/f-18-crash-in-washington-tragedy-strikes-the-u-s-navy/
These days you have to go to a relatively obscure source to get a comprehensive, true journalistic opening paragraph and a non-spam covered video.
“On Jun. 13, 2026, at approximately 12.00 PDT an F/A-18D Hornet aircraft assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, crashed approximately 55 miles southeast of Seattle, while conducting a routine training mission”
Simple who, what, when, and where.
I guess one can only assume that all these F-18 crashes of late are due to the age of these fighters?
Some have been kicking around for 40 plus years.
The D model is a two seater. Wonder if there was a WSO in the rear seat who did not eject safely like the pilot.
I wouldn't assume that. Newer aircraft have crashed as well.
These aircraft may be old but so many components are swapped out over the years.
Although, aircraft age may be a factor worsened by shortages of talent in aircraft maintenance. And as things fail, the shortage in pilot talent is more likely to turn a correctible situation into a crash.
I wondered the same but multiple articles made no mention of the WSO.
Hopefully either the plane was just being ferried by a pilot or the press is just ignorant and didn’t know it’s a two seater and thus didn’t think to report about the WSO who is hopefully fine.
The F-18’s a typically a very reliable aircraft and have stood the test of time. They are among the best that McDonnell Douglas has ever created and I’m pretty sure they’ll be around for many more decades to come.
I’ve been hiking that area and seen the pilots tree skimming below me through the pass.
If there were two crewmen on board and one parachute it would be the RIO, not the pilot that got out. The ejection sequence is GIB out first.
Hopefully though only the pilot was onboard.
Age does not matter if properly maintained. Heck, B-52s are flying just fine,,,look at their age.
Properly maintained means not just maintenance, but also improvement updates.
Military aviation is a hazardous business ... crews train to the limits of their aircraft’s capabilities. Stuff happens.
Glad to see the pilot got out safely ... looks like Martin-Baker will be issuing another necktie.
On another thread, the Russkis lost a Tu-22 ... fate of crew not yet known (to me).
Rough day ...
Yes, they’re getting a little long in the tooth.
Yeah, I was wondering about that too. Hopefully, it was a training mission for the pilot to get some time flying through this special area and there wasn't a WSO on board.
The last two in that sequence are why and How
Lookie here! That thing didn’t fly 100 light years before it crashed. We must not be very advanced.
Well you seem busy in a not good way.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.