Overview

• A pilot from Strike Fighter Squadron 83 ejected during a routine training flight at about 9:53 a.m. EDT off Virginia Beach.
• The pilot was recovered at approximately 11:21 a.m. and transported to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital for evaluation, with condition not disclosed.
• The single-seat Super Hornet remains in the water where it crashed as the Navy investigates the cause.
• Search-and-rescue involved U.S. Coast Guard and Navy units, with aviation outlets reporting the use of a Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk and HC-130J alongside a Navy MH-60S.
• News outlets note this incident follows multiple recent F/A-18/EA-18G mishaps, with some counting it as the sixth F-18 loss in about ten months; the Super Hornet’s unit cost is cited at roughly $67 million.