MORRO BAY, CA — A pilot was pulled from the Pacific Ocean after a jet went down off California’s Central Coast Tuesday evening, officials said. The aircraft crashed about six miles northwest of Morro Bay after the pilot reported engine trouble and ejected before the plane hit the water.
The U.S. Coast Guard said it was alerted at about 6:50 p.m. to an aircraft crash with one person aboard. The pilot survived the emergency and was later taken to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, where ATAC said the person had no significant injuries.
Rescue followed a reported loss of thrust
Flight radar data showed the aircraft heading toward San Luis Obispo County when the pilot told controllers the engine had lost thrust. Officials said the pilot ejected before the crash, and a rescue team from Naval Air Station Lemoore recovered the aviator from the water.
ATAC, the company that operated the aircraft, confirmed the rescue and said the pilot is recovering. The Coast Guard station in Morro Bay responded after the rescue, but crews did not find the plane or any debris at the scene.
Officials identified the plane as an MK-58 Hawker Hunter
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board identified the aircraft as an MK-58 Hawker Hunter, a type commonly used for military training. A spokesperson for Naval Base Ventura County in Oxnard said the jet took off from the base Tuesday evening.
That same spokesperson said the plane was not owned by the Navy. Instead, it was being operated by Airborne Tactical Advantage Company, a privately owned business known as ATAC. The aircraft is used to help train military pilots in air-to-air combat.
Aviation analyst points to the jet’s single-engine design
ABC News aviation analyst John Nance said the Hawker Hunter has long been considered a proven aircraft, but its single-engine design leaves little margin if something goes wrong. He said a pilot in that situation has to get the aircraft down somewhere quickly.
The comments underscore why the reported engine problem became a serious emergency so quickly. Once the pilot said thrust was lost, the situation moved from a routine flight problem to a rescue operation over open water.
FAA and NTSB are investigating what caused the crash
Both the FAA and the NTSB are investigating the incident. The NTSB expects to release a final report in three to six months, which should provide more detail on what happened before the jet entered the ocean.
For now, officials are urging mariners to use caution in the area. Anyone who spots debris or pollution in the water is being asked to contact U.S. Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach.
Offshore emergency drew a response from military and Coast Guard crews
The crash triggered a coordinated response involving military and Coast Guard personnel along the Central Coast. The rescue team from Naval Air Station Lemoore recovered the pilot, while Coast Guard crews checked the area near Morro Bay after the emergency.
Even though no wreckage was found immediately, the incident has become part of the federal investigation now underway. Officials have not said publicly what caused the engine failure, and the examination will focus on the aircraft, the flight path, and the pilot’s actions before the ejection.
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