HAMPTON ROADS, Va. - In the past few years, there have been several mishaps involving military aircraft in Hampton Roads.
The latest incident occurred Thursday when two F/A-18 jets collided off the coast of North Carolina.
The four pilots were rescued by a fishing vessel and then the U.S. Coast Guard. All escaped without major injury.
Complete coverage: Four rescued after Navy jet crash
A malfunctioning F/A-18 jet plummeted into the Mayfair Mews Apartments in Virginia Beach on April 6, 2012. The stricken Super Hornet destroyed several apartment buildings off Birdneck Road near 24th Street. Two aviators ejected and survived with minor injuries. No one on the ground was injured.
It was called the Good Friday Miracle because this F/A-18 crashed into an apartment complex and the pilots were ejected – no one was hurt.
Pat Kavanaugh, lived near crash and said in an interview with NewsChannel 3 this year, “Explosions were going off, the chances of me losing my life that day were close."
The 40-thousand pound aircraft crashed into the two story apartments at Mayfair Mews Apartments in Virginia Beach.
First responders and regular citizens sprang into action.
40 apartments were destroyed as jet fuel and flames consumed the buildings.
Kavanaugh found one of the two pilots who had been ejected. He said, “We picked the pilot up and brought him to back parking lot here until fire department, and EMS could get on the scene. He said he was sorry for crashing into our complex.”
On January 15, 2014, a Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet aircraft crashed approximately 45 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. The jet was from Strike Fighter Squadron 143 (VFA-143) attached to Carrier Air Wing Seven at Oceana Naval Air Station. It was conducting routine training at the time of the crash. The pilot was rescued and survived.
The Navy investigation found that it was a preventable mishap. The Navy said the single pilot was able to eject the aircraft before the crash. He deployed a life raft and was recovered by a Good Samaritan fishing vessel before being taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.
In August 2014, a pair of Air National Guard F-16s clipped wings off the Eastern Shore. One pilot ejected and his jet crashed. He was rescued by a Coast Guard air crew.
On January 8, 2014, a Navy MH-53E Sea Dragon Helicopter crashed into the frigid Atlantic about 18 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. Five men were aboard, but three did not survive.
