SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Two pilots were rescued after a fighter jet crashed into the San Diego Bay in the area of 1401 Shelter Island Drive Wednesday morning, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
A U.S. Navy spokesperson confirmed to ABC 10News that the aircraft was an E/A-18 G Growler. The spokesperson said the aircrew safely ejected, and they were taken out of the water. The U.S. Coast Guard says the pilots were rescued by good Samaritans a fishing boat after they were only in the water for a minute.
The pilots were then transferred to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection boat on the scene before being taken to the hospital, per the Coast Guard.
The Port of San Diego Harbor Police Department held a 1 p.m. press conference to provide more information about the fighter jet crash.
WATCH: Harbor PD officials press conference
Boat traffic in the Shelter Island Basin has been limited to emergency vessels only, per Harbor PD. Kellogg Beach was closed as well due to the emergency response.
Harbor PD says the main channel of San Diego Bay remains open, in and out, but there will be a large Coast Guard and Navy presence holding the maritime perimeter of the debris field until it's entirely cleared out. Since the Navy is the leading agency in this investigation, Harbor PD could not answer any questions about the pilots or aircraft.
An ABC 10News crew was at the scene reporting on another story when they saw the immediate aftermath of the crash a little before 10:30 a.m.
Naval Air Station North Island sits directly east of where our reporting team was at the time of the crash. The Navy says the crash happened while the pilots were trying to land. It's unclear at this point where they were flying from or what caused the crash.
Both pilots were taken to UC San Diego Health in Hillcrest. An ABC 10News reporter saw the pilots as they were taken into the hospital.
The extent of the pilots' injuries is unclear at this point; however, they were in stable condition.
The Navy says it has multiple crews at the crash site working to remove debris from the water and contain fuel from spilling. As of 1:50 p.m. Wednesday, the jet was still in the water.
According to the Navy, the E/A-18 G Growler is a variant in the F/A-18 family of aircraft, which utilizes the F/A-18F Super Hornet platform with "a sophisticated electronic warfare suite. The Growler was assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron 135, which is based out of the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington.
This is a developing story. ABC 10News has assigned multiple reporters to this story, and our team of journalists is working to gather the latest details.
The Navy has multiple crews at the crash site on San Diego Bay now working to contain fuel from spilling. The fighter jet is still in the water. pic.twitter.com/vM0XyMrgL3
— Austin Grabish (@AustinGrabish) February 12, 2025
