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An F/A-18D Legacy Hornet belonging to VMFA-323 crashed while flying the VR-1355 low-level route in Washington State, with the pilot’s ejection caught on camera.

On Jun. 13, 2026, at approximately 12.00 PDT an F/A-18D Hornet aircraft assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, crashed approximately 55 miles southeast of Seattle, while conducting a routine training mission 

The pilot ejected safely and was recovered by the local sheriff’s department.

“The cause of the mishap is currently under investigation,” says an official 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing press release. “To preserve the integrity of the investigation, no additional details are available at this time. Mishap investigations can take several months to complete, depending on various factors.”

Interestingly, clips of the single pilot ejecting from the two-seat Legacy Hornet have almost immediately started circulating online, showing also the explosion following the impact of the jet with led to the ignition of the Pine Tree Fire, which has grown to two acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. 

Video from Tic Toc of the F-18 crash in WA from VFMA-323. Rumor is the pilot ejected safely. Praying he is uninjured pic.twitter.com/hAmRftwdpc

— Flygirlpainter (@ShayneB52) June 14, 2026

US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet crashes during training flight in Washington state.

The pilot managed to eject safely before impact. There are no reports of injuries on the ground.

The cause of the crash is under investigation. pic.twitter.com/4guhfPCYYf

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 14, 2026

The mishap took place along the Visual Route 1355, one of the low level routes running through national parks in the Cascade Mountains.

A US Navy F/A-18 crashed near Rimrock Lake, pilot ejected and walked out with medics according to reports. This is along the famous VR-1355 low level route in Washington State.

509Media pic.twitter.com/UhKZyUCRF9

— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) June 14, 2026

Colloquially called the “million dollar ride” for both the scenic views and the fun and “aggressive” flying that can be done through the valleys, VR-1355 is one of the most popular low level routes among the Growler squadrons based at NASWI.

An EA-18G Growler Electronic Attack aircraft belonging to the Electronic Attack Squadron 130 (VAQ-130) “Zappers” carrying two crew members crashed more or less in the same area, near Mount Rainier, little less than two years ago, on October 15, 2024. The aircraft wreckage was located in the mountainous region by search teams on Wednesday, October 16. The fate of the two naval aviators aboard the Growler at the time of the crash remained unknown until Oct. 21, 2024, when the U.S. Navy identified them as Lt. Cmdr. Lyndsay “Miley” Evans and Lt. Serena “Dug” Wileman.

While the U.S. Marine Corps did not provide any details about the exact type or unit of the Legacy Hornet that crashed on Jun. 13, the aircraft was almost immediately identified as BuNo 165412, tail code WS-415, from VMFA-323 “Death Rattlers,” based at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar in California, flying as SNAKE 21. The identification was made possible thanks to photographs of the aircraft departing King County International Airport – Boeing Field where the “Death Rattlers” Legacy Hornets from MCAS Miramar had deployed.

A Puget Sound photographer noticed that only three of the four aircraft returned to the departure airfield, with the missing jet being airframe 165412.

With regard to the fighter lost in a crash off Rimrock Lake in the Cascades, it is this Legacy Hornet airframe visiting from MCAS Miramar.

‘SNAKE21’ was 165412, tail WS-415 from VMFA-323 ‘Death Rattlers’. https://t.co/7LqreS9TBF

— Evergreen Intel (@vcdgf555) June 13, 2026