A military jet vanished into San Diego Bay on Wednesday morning, leaving bystanders stunned and rescuers racing into action.
Wednesday morning turned chaotic in San Diego as a U.S. Navy fighter jet plunged into the bay leaving its two pilots ejecting into the water. They were quickly rescued and are in good condition, according to San Diego Fire-Rescue officials.
The aircraft, a two-seat EA-18G Growler, went down around 10:15 a.m. local time after taking off from Naval Air Station North Island. Witnesses reported hearing unusual noises before seeing the jet descend at a low altitude.
According to a reporter, one bystander described the sound as “odd,” while another said the plane vanished into the water moments later. The pilots, who spent about a minute in the bay, were pulled to safety by a nearby fishing boat before being transferred to the Coast Guard.
A statement released by the Navy on Wednesday evening confirmed both pilots were recovering and were under medical observation for 24 hours as a precaution.
Following the incident, a CBS 8 reporter spoke with a woman who witnessed the horrifying crash. She described the moment the jet struck the water, sending a massive black plume into the air.
An eye witness detailing the horrifying incident from a video posted on February 13,2025 | Source: YouTube.com/@cbs8sandiego
“The plane hit the water and there was an explosion, a lot of black plumes, and then uh, it just like got sucked into the water, and within 15 seconds there was nothing,” she recalled. “I don’t wish that on anybody to witness that [sic].”
The reporter also interviewed the fishing boat captain who rescued the pilots. He described the tense moments as he and his crew spotted two parachutes descending, with two figures beneath them.
An eye witness detailing the horrifying incident from a video posted on February 13,2025 | Source: YouTube.com/@cbs8sandiego
“Luckily we were there to spin the boat around. And thanks to my crew and everyone else, we were able to swing by and pick them up and safely get them out of the water,” he said. “Right place, right time and luckily we were there to help them out.”
An ABC 10 News reporter also shared a video from the scene, revealing that she had witnessed the crash firsthand. “I just witnessed a U.S. Navy fighter jet slam into the water here off of Shelter Island at full speed,” she said in the footage. “It was a shocking scene for witnesses nearby, and for me and my photographer who had never seen something like this before.”
Authorities are still working to determine what caused the crash. According to a Navy official, the pilots ejected during a go-around maneuver, a routine procedure where a jet aborts its landing and prepares for another approach.
The crash site has been secured, and authorities are asking the public to report any debris they may find so it can be recovered.
The aircraft was in San Diego for the Bamboo Eagle integrated training exercise and was operating out of North Island at the time, the Navy confirmed. Following the crash, the airfield was temporarily closed but is expected to reopen soon to resume training flights.
The San Diego jet crash comes just a week after another devastating incident involving a small passenger plane. A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, operated by Bering Air, vanished over Alaska’s Bering Sea with ten people on board, including the pilot.
After an extensive search, the aircraft was located days later. The plane had disappeared on the afternoon of Thursday, February 6, near Nome, triggering a major rescue operation.
Authorities launched an urgent search, scouring the coastline for any sign of the missing plane. On Friday, February 7, multiple agencies provided an update, revealing that a search aircraft had identified an “item of interest” linked to the missing flight.
The Cessna had departed Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m., bound for Nome, according to Bering Air’s Director of Operations, David Olson. Data from FlightRadar showed its last recorded position at 3:16 p.m. over Norton Sound before it vanished from radar.
Cessna 208 Caravan aircraft | Source: Getty Images
Rescue crews, including the Nome Volunteer Fire Department and local search teams, concentrated their efforts along a 30-mile stretch between Nome and Topkok. On Saturday, February 8, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) provided a somber update on the search efforts, confirming the plane’s discovery roughly 34 miles southeast of Nome.
In a statement on social media, the agency announced the end of its search, revealing that three individuals had been found inside the wreckage. All were confirmed deceased.
“The remaining seven people are believed to be inside the aircraft but are currently inaccessible due to the condition of the plane,” the USCG added. In a follow-up message on the same day, the agency expressed condolences to the victims’ families and those impacted by the tragedy.
Rescue teams continued to assess the wreckage and determine the next steps in recovering the remaining passengers. Before the wreckage was located, search teams faced difficult conditions while scouring Alaska’s rugged terrain for the missing plane.
A Cessna 208B aircraft | Source: Getty Images
White Mountain Fire Chief Jack Adams confirmed that the aircraft disappeared from radar and that crews were deployed to search a 30-mile stretch, determined to continue until they found answers.
“They’re prepared to be out all night,” Adams told Alaska’s News Source. “They will search here until they find them or somebody else finds them. If they don’t find anything, we’ll probably rally another crew to go and help.”
Cessna 208B aircraft | Source: Getty Images
Navigating the terrain proved difficult. With sea ice in a chaotic, jumbled state, ground crews had to rely on the Iditarod Trail to move safely through the area. Adams hoped the plane had landed on solid ground. “Being in the water would be the worst-case scenario,” he said.
Alaska State Troopers confirmed that they were notified by the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center of the missing plane around 4 p.m. At the time, ground teams from Nome and White Mountain were actively searching, but poor weather and limited visibility hindered aerial efforts.
Cessna 208 passenger plane | Source: Getty Images
An FAA weather camera in Nome showed near-whiteout conditions during the critical afternoon hours, further complicating search efforts.
Speaking of the missing plane, Lt. Cmdr. Ben McIntyre-Coble of the U.S. Coast Guard revealed that radar data captured a sudden loss in both altitude and speed at 3:18 p.m., signaling a possible midair emergency.
Cessna 208 passenger plane | Source: Getty Images
The Coast Guard responded to the emergency alert at 4:30 p.m. and quickly deployed an HC-130 Hercules aircraft from Air Station Kodiak to track the plane’s last known position. The aircraft had been flying 12 miles offshore when it suddenly vanished.
As authorities continued to investigate the crash, news of the tragedy sent shockwaves through the community. Expressions of sympathy poured in, including from Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy, who addressed the heartbreaking loss on social media.
“Rose and I are heartbroken by the loss of the 10 people on the Bering Air flight,” Dunleavy wrote on X. “Our prayers are with the families, friends, and communities mourning this tragedy”
He also acknowledged the efforts of those involved in the search. “We are grateful to the search teams who worked tirelessly to locate the aircraft. I ask all Alaskans to keep those affected in their thoughts and prayers.”
As families and loved ones grapple with the devastating news, officials pledged to continue gathering details about the crash and its cause.
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