F-14 Crashes in Atlantic; Pilot Missing

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A Navy F-14 Tomcat fighter jet on a routine training flight crashed Thursday in the Atlantic Ocean, and both pilots ejected. The Navy said one was rescued and a search was underway for the other.

It was the seventh military plane crash since Sept. 13. The six earlier crashes happened within a week and led to a one-day break in training flights for a safety review by all the services.

The Navy jet went down about 4 p.m. about 65 miles east of Elizabeth City, N.C., said Coast Guard Petty Officer Harry Craft.

Craft said a Coast Guard helicopter rescued the plane’s radar intercept officer. A Navy spokesman said the recovered flier was taken to a Navy clinic, where he was in good condition. The identities of the two crew members were withheld.

The plane was training with another aircraft when it went down, said Mike Maus, a Navy spokesman. The Navy was investigating the cause of the crash, he said.

The fighter was assigned to Oceana Naval Air Station at Virginia Beach.