Dead Family's Dad: 'Pray for Fighter Pilot'

Student pilot blames mechanical problem in Marine fighter jet

(NEWSER) - Two adults and an infant were killed in a house destroyed by fire when a student pilot smashed a Marine fighter jet into a San Diego street yesterday, reports CNN. Another adult in the house is missing. Debris flew between homes, setting three on fire and destroying two. The tragedy occurred as the pilot was trying to reach a nearby Marine Corps air base. He safely ejected just moments before the crash. More»

(NEWSER) - Thirty years after Yankees captain Thurman Munson died in a plane crash, the New York Daily News looks back at athletes "gone too soon": Roberto Clemente (Dec. 31, 1972): His plane went down while trying to deliver supplies to Nicaragua earthquake victims. Search parties never found Clemente's body. More»

(NEWSER) - Search crews today found the body of a missing 15-month-old girl in the rubble of her San Diego home, the fourth and final victim of a military jet crash in a suburban neighborhood. The toddler and three family members—her mother, grandmother, and 2-month-old sister—were killed in Monday's accident. The family's father said he bore no ill feelings toward the Marine pilot, who managed to parachute to safety. "I know he did everything he could." More»

One-year-old's mom, grandmother, sibling killed in jet crash

(NEWSER) - Rescuers in San Diego resumed their search today for a missing 1-year-old whose mother, grandmother, and 2-month-old sibling were killed in yesterday’s military plane crash, reports NBC affiliate KNSD-TV. A Red Cross spokeswoman said the child’s father is “calm” and staying with friends. “I cried all night,” said a neighbor. “A family perished, a young family.” More»

Two crew members ejected; no reports of injuries on ground

(NEWSER) - A fighter jet returning from a training mission caught fire and crashed into a residential neighborhood in San Diego today, the Union-Tribune reports. Both crew members ejected safely before the F/A-18 barreled into a home on the ground. At least one house is on fire, but no injuries on the ground have been reported. The jet was from a squadron that includes both Navy and Marine pilots. More»