Washington, Jan 16 (IANS): A US Navy fighter jet crashed off the coast of Virginia Wednesday, but the sole pilot was rescued, navy officials said Thursday.
US Navy announced the accident via its twitter account.
The F-18 fighter plane, which originated from the navy's Oceana Naval Air Station, crashed at about 2.30 p.m. local time when it was conducting routine training exercises, Xinhua reported.
The accident occurred 72 km off the coast of Virginia Beach and the pilot was later rescued by a fishing vessel. He was conscious when he was picked up by a navy helicopter but was said to be critical, WAVY.com reported.