EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated with new information.
A U.S. Marine Corps fighter jet crashed Saturday on the western edge of Yakima Valley north of Rimrock Lake.
An F/A-18 Hornet assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 11 of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at Mirimar, Calif., experienced what a Marine Corps news release described as a “non-fatal aviation mishap” while on a routine training flight.
The fighter crashed approximately 55 miles southeast of Seattle, or roughly 52 miles from Yakima. The pilot ejected and was rescued by a Yakima County sheriff’s deputy assigned to the mountain passes, according to the sheriff’s office.
The Naches Fire Department posted on its Facebook page that the pilot was taken to a hospital.
The crash started a wildfire in the area. A helicopter and engine from the U.S. Forest Service responded and Naches firefighters worked to protect nearby structures.
The 1200 Road system on the south side of Rimrock closed and campers were evacuated, the Naches Fire Department reported. The area should be avoided for the forseeable future, the department said.
Naches fire units completed structure protection near the Bear Creek cabins and planned to assist with mop up on Sunday.
Yakima County Sheriff’s Office dispatchers referred calls to the military.
In October 2024, two U.S. Navy aviators were killed when their EA-18G Growler crashed east of Mount Rainier.
