An F/A-18D Legacy Hornet belonging to VMFA-323 crashed while flying low-level route VR-1355 in Washington state, and the pilot’s ejection was caught on camera.
On June 13, 2026, at approximately 12:00 PDT, an F/A-18D Hornet aircraft assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, crashed approximately 55 miles southeast of Seattle, while conducting a routine training mission.
The pilot ejected safely and was recovered by the local sheriff’s department.
“The cause of the mishap is currently under investigation,” says an official press release from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. “To preserve the integrity of the investigation, no additional details are available at this time. Mishap investigations may take several months to complete, depending on several factors.”
Interestingly, clips of the lone pilot ejected from the two-seat Legacy Hornet began circulating almost immediately online, also showing the explosion that followed the plane’s impact and ignited the Pine Tree Fire, which has grown to two acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Tic Toc video of the F-18 crash in WA from VFMA-323. It is rumored that the pilot ejected safely. Praying that he is unharmed pic.twitter.com/hAmRftwdpc
— Flygirlpainter 🇺🇸🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸 (@ShayneB52) June 14, 2026
US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet crashes during training flight in Washington state.
The pilot managed to eject safely before impact. There are no reports of injuries on the ground.
The cause of the accident is under investigation. pic.twitter.com/4guhfPCYYf
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 14, 2026
The accident occurred along Visual Route 1355, one of the low-level routes that runs through the national parks of the Cascade Mountains.
A US Navy F/A-18 crashed near Rimrock Lake, the pilot ejected and left with medics, according to reports. This is located along the famous low-grade route VR-1355 in Washington State.
🎥509Media pic.twitter.com/UhKZyUCRF9
– Thenewrea51 (@thenewrea51) June 14, 2026
Colloquially called the “million dollar trip” Both for the scenic views and the fun, “aggressive” flying that can be done through the valleys, VR-1355 is one of the most popular low-level routes among NASWI-based Growler squadrons.
An EA-18G Growler Electronic Attack aircraft belonging to the Electronic Attack Squadron 130 (VAQ-130) “Zappers” carrying two crew members crashed in more or less the same area, near Mount Rainier, a little less than two years ago, on October 15, 2024. The wreckage of the aircraft was located in the mountainous region by search teams on Wednesday, October 16. remained unknown until 21 October 2024, when the US Navy identified them as Lt. Cmdr. Lyndsay “Miley” Evans and Lieutenant Serena “Dug” Wileman.
While the U.S. Marine Corps did not provide any details on the exact type or unit of the Legacy Hornet that crashed on June 13, the aircraft was identified almost immediately as BuNo 165412, tail code WS-415, of VMFA-323 “Death Rattlers,” based at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar in California, flying as SNAKE 21. The identification was made possible by photographs of the aircraft departing King County International Airport – Boeing Field where the Legacy Hornets “Death Rattlers” from MCAS Miramar had been deployed.
A Puget Sound photographer noted that only three of the four aircraft returned to the departure airfield, with the missing aircraft being fuselage 165412.
Regarding the fighter lost in a crash off Rimrock Lake in the Cascades, it is this Legacy Hornet airframe visiting us from MCAS Miramar.
‘SNAKE21’ was 165412, tail WS-415 of VMFA-323 ‘Death Rattlers’. https://t.co/7LqreS9TBF
— Evergreen Intel (@vcdgf555) June 13, 2026
