dare_me
Proud Member
i witnessed this today, i go to university city high school and live in this neighborhood. i saw it happen during lunch and watched the pilot parachute out of the jet and then the jet crash as a huge cloud of smoke bursted upwards. at school we went into a lockdown which lasted about two hours and watched what was happening on the news and there were some people who lived on the same street in my class. one guy in my class lives about 5 houses away and we saw his dad on the news. he was the first to tell us who the people were in the house. when i got home today they told us that there have been two confirmed deaths and two are still missing. it's all very surreal and hard to believe.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28115760/
2 dead after military jet crashes in Calif.
Pilot reportedly ejected before plane crashed into neighborhood
Fred Greaves / Reuters
Firefighters battle flames next to the remains of a military jet that crashed into homes in the University City neighborhood of San Diego.
View related photos
BREAKING NEWS
msnbc.com staff and news service reports
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SAN DIEGO - San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders said two people died on the ground after a fighter jet crashed in a city neighborhood.
Military officials said the pilot ejected safely from his plane moments before it crashed around noon Monday. Two homes were destroyed and a third was damaged.
The F/A-18D Hornet jet crashed as it prepared to land at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. The fiery crash occurred two miles from the Southern California base.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor did not know the pilot's condition or how many people were in the plane before it crashed near Interstate 805. KNSD-TV reported the pilot was at Balboa Naval Hospital. No details were available on the victims.
Television news footage showed what appeared to be the remnants of a smoldering house and two cars on fire.
"We saw two big bangs," resident Scott Patterson told KNX radio. "The smoke came up. We don't know what it was."
Residents being warned away
Neighbor Ben Dishman told MSNBC that the crash shook his house about a block away in the densely populated area and that officials were warning residents to move back.
"I knew definitely it was an explosion. ... It was pretty strong," Dishman said.
Steve Krasner, who lives a few blocks away in the earthquake-prone region, said he first thought the shaking generated by the crash was the long-anticipated "Big One."
He was in his kitchen when he heard two loud explosions and looked outside, then heard a larger blast.
"The house shook; the ground shook. It was like I was frozen in my place," Krasner said.
"It was bigger than any earthquake I ever felt," he said. "The flames were billowing overhead."
Dean Costa, who was about two blocks away at his father's house, said he felt the building vibrate, then made his way close to the crash site and saw two houses on fire and several cars explode.
"It was just crazy," said Costa, 22. "There was debris everywhere."
Vern Larson told KNSD-TV he was doing some Christmas decorating when he heard the crash and saw the parachute descend into a canyon and out of sight. Larson jumped into his car and drove down to the crash site.
'I found the parachute'
"I found the parachute, but there was no one in the parachute," Larson said. He said someone from from the air base inspected the chute as well but there was no one in the area.
Maurice Luque, a spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, said he didn't know whether anyone was injured.
A Miramar spokeswoman said base workers were sent to the crash site.
"We are still trying to confirm the aircraft even belongs to us," said Marine Staff Sgt. Bobbie Bryant.
The F-18 is a supersonic jet used widely in the Marine Corps and Navy.
Miramar, well known for its role in the movie "Top Gun," is home to some 10,000 Marines. It was operated by the Navy until 1996.
Check back for details on this breaking story.
© 2008 msnbc.com
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28115760/
2 dead after military jet crashes in Calif.
Pilot reportedly ejected before plane crashed into neighborhood
Fred Greaves / ReutersFirefighters battle flames next to the remains of a military jet that crashed into homes in the University City neighborhood of San Diego.
View related photosBREAKING NEWS
msnbc.com staff and news service reports
updated 28 minutes ago function UpdateTimeStamp(pdt) { var n = document.getElementById("udtD"); if(pdt != '' && n && window.DateTime) { var dt = new DateTime(); pdt = dt.T2D(pdt); if(dt.GetTZ(pdt)) {n.innerHTML = dt.D2S(pdt,((''.toLowerCase()=='false')?false:true));} } } UpdateTimeStamp('633643741005070000');
SAN DIEGO - San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders said two people died on the ground after a fighter jet crashed in a city neighborhood.
Military officials said the pilot ejected safely from his plane moments before it crashed around noon Monday. Two homes were destroyed and a third was damaged.
The F/A-18D Hornet jet crashed as it prepared to land at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. The fiery crash occurred two miles from the Southern California base.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor did not know the pilot's condition or how many people were in the plane before it crashed near Interstate 805. KNSD-TV reported the pilot was at Balboa Naval Hospital. No details were available on the victims.
Television news footage showed what appeared to be the remnants of a smoldering house and two cars on fire.
"We saw two big bangs," resident Scott Patterson told KNX radio. "The smoke came up. We don't know what it was."
Residents being warned away
Neighbor Ben Dishman told MSNBC that the crash shook his house about a block away in the densely populated area and that officials were warning residents to move back.
"I knew definitely it was an explosion. ... It was pretty strong," Dishman said.
Steve Krasner, who lives a few blocks away in the earthquake-prone region, said he first thought the shaking generated by the crash was the long-anticipated "Big One."
He was in his kitchen when he heard two loud explosions and looked outside, then heard a larger blast.
"The house shook; the ground shook. It was like I was frozen in my place," Krasner said.
"It was bigger than any earthquake I ever felt," he said. "The flames were billowing overhead."
Dean Costa, who was about two blocks away at his father's house, said he felt the building vibrate, then made his way close to the crash site and saw two houses on fire and several cars explode.
"It was just crazy," said Costa, 22. "There was debris everywhere."
Vern Larson told KNSD-TV he was doing some Christmas decorating when he heard the crash and saw the parachute descend into a canyon and out of sight. Larson jumped into his car and drove down to the crash site.
'I found the parachute'
"I found the parachute, but there was no one in the parachute," Larson said. He said someone from from the air base inspected the chute as well but there was no one in the area.
Maurice Luque, a spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, said he didn't know whether anyone was injured.
A Miramar spokeswoman said base workers were sent to the crash site.
"We are still trying to confirm the aircraft even belongs to us," said Marine Staff Sgt. Bobbie Bryant.
The F-18 is a supersonic jet used widely in the Marine Corps and Navy.
Miramar, well known for its role in the movie "Top Gun," is home to some 10,000 Marines. It was operated by the Navy until 1996.
Check back for details on this breaking story.
© 2008 msnbc.com
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