Overview
- The single-seat Mk.58 Hawker Hunter operated by contractor Airborne Tactical Advantage Company went into the Pacific about six miles northwest of Morro Bay after the pilot radioed “Mayday” and said he had lost engine thrust on Tuesday evening, Sept. 22.
- A Navy rescue helicopter recovered the lone pilot from the water and took him to a trauma hospital in Fresno where ATAC said he ejected and is recovering.
- Flight tracking data show the jet, using call sign SNAKE4 and reported as N345AX, had been conducting training flights off Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties before it disappeared from radar.
- The U.S. Coast Guard searched the crash area after dark, found no wreckage or visible oil sheen, and asked mariners to report any debris because the jet likely carried hundreds of gallons of fuel.
- The crash renews scrutiny of ATAC’s Cold War–era Hawker Hunters after earlier losses in 2025 and 2022 and leaves technical and recovery questions open as the FAA, Navy and other authorities continue their investigation.