Fighter Jet Crashes Near Marine Corps Base in North Carolina

[Rockville]

HAVELOCK, N.C. —
Rescuers are at the scene of a jet fighter crash near the Marine Corps' Cherry Point air station in eastern North Carolina. Officials at the base say there is no word yet on the condition of the aircraft's pilot.
Cherry Point spokeswoman Gunnery Sgt. Reina Barnett told WNCT-TV in Greenville the crash occurred about 12:15 p.m. in some woods off a runway at the base.
Base spokesman Mike Barton said he had been told the plane is an AV-8B Harrier, but had little additional information.
The television station said a Marine helicopter is conducting a search and rescue operation at the scene, near the state's Cherry Branch ferry terminal on the Neuse River.
An AV-8B Harrier crashed in February in Carteret County, but the pilot wasn't injured.

AP Monday , December 29, 2008

[Tintin]

Updated: 20 minutes ago

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An AV-8B Harrier jet crashed Monday afternoon at Cherry Point Marine Air Station in Havelock.

HAVELOCK, N.C. — A Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier jet crashed early Monday afternoon near the Marine Corps' Cherry Point air station in eastern North Carolina, killing the pilot.

Officials said the crash of the single-seat fighter occurred at approximately 12:30 p.m. while it was returning from a routine training flight.

The pilot's name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Cherry Point spokesman Michael Barton said in a news release that the plane crashed in woods near one of the base's two runways near N.C. Highway 101, not far from a terminal for a state Department of Transportation ferry that crosses the Neuse River.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

An AV-8B Harrier crashed in February in Carteret County, but the pilot wasn't injured. A two-seat training model crashed in May in Arizona, but the pilots ejected safely.


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