A recently released video captures a Marine pilot, bloodied but somehow unharmed, after a dramatic fighter jet crash in Washington state. In a calm manner, he can be heard on the phone saying, “Hey, buddy, I just crashed.”
This footage, made public by local police, shows the pilot, who is part of the 11th Marine Aircraft Group based in Miramar, California, making his way to emergency responders along the roadside near where the crash occurred on June 13.
The pilot informed authorities, “That’s an F-18,” before adding, “Well, it was an F-18.”
He explained to officers that they had been circling over a lake for some low-level training maneuvers when something went wrong. “Honestly, I’m a little tired,” he mentioned, seemingly downplaying the incident.
The fighter jet crashed into a mountainside close to Rimrock Lake, which is about 55 miles southeast of Seattle, during a military training exercise. This caused a significant amount of black smoke to billow into the clear summer sky, even igniting a wildfire in the area.
A witness humorously remarked, “That’s bad for hitting a tree, bud.”
The injured pilot was later observed alerting others about the burning wreckage, reiterating, “Hey buddy, I just crashed.”
As he described his harrowing descent, he mentioned passing through several trees after ejecting and pointed out a bloody mark on his face, which seemed to be a result of the parachute.
At the time of the mishap, the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing issued a statement noting that the pilots were engaged in routine training when the aircraft experienced a “non-fatal aviation accident.”
As of now, the pilot’s identity has not been disclosed, and the accident is under investigation.
