Overview
- A Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet from Marine Aircraft Group 11 went down near Rimrock Lake during a routine training flight on Saturday around noon, the service said.
- The pilot ejected safely, was contacted by a Yakima County Sheriff’s deputy, and was taken to a local hospital with nonfatal injuries.
- Wreckage ignited a brush fire that prompted evacuations of campers and a coordinated response from the Naches Fire Department, the U.S. Forest Service and helicopter crews.
- Fire crews completed structure protection near the Bear Creek cabins and left a water tender on scene to support mop-up operations.
- The Marine Corps opened a formal investigation that officials say could take months, and the crash recalls a fatal Navy EA-18G Growler crash near Mount Rainier in October 2024 that has raised questions about training over forested public lands.