There’s a Navy airfield - single runway - on San Clemente. I don’t even know if it’s still active - I haven’t been there since the early 90s. Maybe it has something to do with that.
NOT GOOD
Both aircraft would have a total of nine crew members, including two on the helicopter, said Ian Gregor, an FAA spokesman.
He said a pilot reported seeing a fireball about 7:10 p.m. near the suspected crash site. Earlier reports stated that a single Navy helicopter may have crashed.
A search-and-rescue operation was underway.
The Coast Guard cannot account for its plane, and the Marine Corps cannot account for the helicopter, Gregor said.
Both pilots were not talking to FAA air traffic controllers at the time of the collision, he said.
Would the Cobra have been out of MCAS Mira Mar or MCB Pendleton?
I just google mapped the island and found a runway on the central-northern side of the island. It looks horrible and unkempt from the map image.
Is there another one?
It's still very active. Half my command is out there right now (probably drinking at the Salty Crab until this happened). Metro flights take off every hour or so from here on NAS North Island.
Near the northern tip I think I can see another runway under the thick clouds. barely.