A US Navy aircraft went down and two pilots were forced to emergency eject over San Diego in another shocking aviation incident over US skies.
The aircraft was reportedly a Boeing F/A-18 ‘Super Hornet’, one of the most powerful aircraft in the US military arsenal, which crash landed into the San Diego Bay near Shelter Island on Wednesday.
The cause of the downed jet is not yet clear, however early reports suggested it was flying in rough weather off the West Coast when it fell from the skies.
Emergency crews including 60 personnel, two boats, five fire engines and a helicopter team were rushed to the scene around 10:15am local time, San Diego Fire and Rescue said.
Several crews with the Navy were also seen working the crash site to prevent fuel from spilling into the waters from the downed aircraft as they work to retrieve it.
Military officials said two pilots were on board and successfully ejected before the plane crashed, and were both raced to UC San Diego Medical Center in unknown condition after being rescued from the waters.
Reports suggest the plane crashed into the bay in close proximity to the Kona Kai San Diego Resort and a number of businesses along the shoreline.
A US Navy F/A-18 Hornet aircraft (seen in a stock image) went down and two pilots were forced to emergency eject over San Diego on Wednesday
Images showed emergency services racing to the scene on the San Diego Bay near Shelter Island, where both pilots were successfully rescued from the waters and taken to hospital
It comes after a wave of aviation accidents rocked the US in recent weeks, including one of the worst air disasters in recent memory 14 days ago when an American Airlines passenger jet collided with a military helicopter over Reagan National Airport.
Days later, a small air ambulance crash landed in Pennsylvania, killing six people aboard the jet and a seventh on the ground.
These disasters were followed by a small jet dropping off radars in Alaska last week, leading to the deaths of all 10 people on board.
And just a day ago, a private jet owned by Motley Crue singer Vince Neil crashed when its landing gear failed while touching down at an airfield in Scottsdale, Arizona, killing the pilot and injuring three others.