The aircraft, identified as an E/A-18G Growler, went down into the ocean, prompting an immediate response from nearby vessels. According to the Associated Press, a fishing vessel named Premiere was the first to reach the crash site and rescued the two pilots. They were subsequently transferred to a US Customs and Border Protection boat before being taken to a local hospital, where their condition was confirmed to be stable.
US Coast Guard spokesperson, Petty Officer Christopher Sappey, stated that the wreckage of the aircraft was being secured with the assistance of two other vessels. Further details regarding the cause of the crash are still awaited.
Recent Aviation Incidents in the US
The San Diego crash comes amid a string of aviation accidents in the United States in 2025. Just weeks earlier, on January 29, a catastrophic collision occurred at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, where an American Airlines flight out of Wichita, Kansas, crashed into an Army Black Hawk helicopter, killing all 67 people on board.
The Washington crash was the deadliest aviation disaster in the US since November 12, 2001, when a jet plunged into a New York City neighborhood shortly after takeoff, killing 260 passengers and five people on the ground.
Adding to the spate of incidents, a medical transportation plane crashed in Philadelphia on January 31, claiming the lives of six passengers and one person on the ground. Meanwhile, on February 8, a scheduled commuter flight in Alaska met a tragic end when it crashed into an ice field, killing all 10 people aboard.
Sources By Agencies
