Marine F/A-18 crashes in Washington state mountains, pilot escapes safely
A Marine F/A-18 Hornet on routine training crashed near Rimrock Lake, sparking the Pine Tree Fire and forcing campground evacuations.
A Marine F/A-18 Hornet crashed into a Washington state mountain near Rimrock Lake while on routine training, turning a remote stretch of Yakima County into a military safety and wildfire response zone within minutes. The jet, assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, was based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego.
The aircraft went down around noon Saturday near Forest Road 1241, in steep terrain beside the 2,546-acre Rimrock Lake reservoir along Highway 12, about 10 miles east of White Pass and near the Pacific Crest Trail. The crash ignited the Pine Tree Fire, which had grown to 2 acres by 5:04 p.m. with no containment estimate reported, and pushed officials to evacuate nearby campgrounds and close the 1200 Road system on the south side of Rimrock.
The pilot ejected safely and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and assessment. Local and county officials said the pilot had minor injuries, and a Yakima County sheriff’s mountain pass deputy made contact after the wreck. The Marine Corps described the crash as a nonfatal mishap and said the cause was under investigation.
The response quickly drew in helicopters, local crews and at least one U.S. Forest Service engine from the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest as firefighters worked to hold the line around the blaze. Naches Fire officials said Bear Creek Cabins were protected from the fire and that a water tender would remain on scene for mop-up operations, underscoring how close the incident came to recreation sites in a heavily used mountain corridor.
The safe ejection matters for one reason above all: it prevented a training flight emergency from becoming a fatal one. But it does not answer why the Hornet came down, whether weather, mechanical failure or pilot error played a role, or what safeguards may need to change in future training over rugged terrain. Marine officials said mishap investigations can take several months, a timeline that usually reflects the need to examine the aircraft, flight data, maintenance records, pilot actions and the conditions over Rimrock Lake before drawing conclusions.
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