Navy pilot killed in fighter jet crash in desert

TRONA, Calif. (Gray News) – U.S. Navy pilot Lt. Richard Bullock was killed Friday when his fighter jet crashed in the Southern California desert, authorities said.

An F/A-18E Super Hornet based at Naval Air Station Lemoore went down at about 2:30 p.m. in the area of Trona, an unincorporated Mojave Desert community in San Bernardino County, the Navy announced in a statement.

Trona is about 236 miles southeast of the air station, which is in the Central Valley.

According to the Navy, Bullock was flying a routine training mission at the time before his aircraft went down.

No one on the ground was hurt.

The crash is under investigation and the scene is secured by the Navy and local authorities while recovery efforts are ongoing.