U.S. Navy completes recovery of downed jet in San Diego Bay
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Salvage and recovery operations for the jet that crashed in San Diego Bay were completed this week, according to a statement from the U.S. Navy Wednesday.
'We understand the impact this accident has had on our community, and we appreciate the community's patience while we worked to safely and efficiently salvage the aircraft,' the Navy said in its statement.
EA-18G Growler: What to know about the plane that crashed in San Diego Bay
The local community was shaken to hear of the crash, which happened the morning of Feb. 12 near Shelter Island.
Crews have attempted to recover the remains of the plane for the past three weeks.
'The Navy takes pride in our deep history here in San Diego and could not have completed the recovery without the support of our local partners,' the Navy's statement said.
According to officials, the downed plane was an EA-18G Growler, a variant in the F/A-18 family of military aircraft that combines the F/A-18 'Super Hornet' with an electronic warfare suite.
The Growler was assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 135, based out of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington state.
Both pilots, the only two people on the aircraft, were able to safely eject and were rescued by a fishing vessel shortly after being in the water.
After the incident, the Coast Guard worked to re-enforce the safety zone around the crash site to keep other vessels away from the area.
'True heroes': Fishing crew rescues pilots after their jet crashes into San Diego Bay
The recovery team consisted of members of the Mobile Diving and Salvage Company 3-8, assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 3.
Additional Navy commands that assisted in the recovery effort included Amphibious Construction Battalion One, Navy Region Southwest, Naval Base Coronado, Naval Base Point Loma, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Southwest, Naval Safety Command, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Supervisor of Salvage and Diving, and Electronic Attack Wing Pacific as well as the U.S. Coast Guard.
The investigation into what caused the crash is still ongoing.
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