14 DAY TRIAL // A US Marine Corps Harrier jet crashed into a residential area in Imperial Valley, Southern California, on Wednesday afternoon, setting two homes on fire, it has been reported.
Daily Mail informs that no casualties or major injuries have been reported after the AV-8B Harrier aircraft crashed into a home on Fonzie Avenue near the intersection with Cabo San Lucas Avenue. The pilot managed to safely eject from the aircraft before the collision, and was taken to Pioneers Memorial Hospital for a medical check.
“I was pretty close to it,” eyewitness Shaun Penniman told local reporters, according to RT. “I heard like a pop and a whistle. And right when I looked up is when I saw the pilot eject.”
After he came down in a parking lot about 200 meters (656 feet) from the crash site, the pilot was helped by some good-hearted residents who were around at the time.
The incident happened at approximately 4:20 p.m. local time, and residents said the crash felt like an earthquake. Many claim they heard a “loud boom” before seeing the plane crash into the house and burst into flames.
As of 7:30 p.m., there was no word on injuries on the ground.
Three homes were reportedly damaged in the incident, and at least two families have been displaced. The fire enveloped and destroyed at least one of the houses, while the others were severely damaged by debris and flames. It took firefighters three hours to put out the blaze.
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar confirmed that the jet was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, in Arizona, and said an investigation would be conducted to determine the cause of the accident.
According to Daily Mail, the AV-8B Harrier jets, like the one pictured above, are known for their ability to take off and land vertically like a helicopter and cost about $30 million (€22 million) each.
It was designed in the late 1970s as an Anglo-American development of the British Hawker Siddeley Harrier, and is primarily employed on light attack or multi-role missions, ranging from close air support of ground troops to armed reconnaissance.
This is the second such incident in a month involving jets from the Yuma air base. On May 9, a military jet crashed in a remote desert area near the Gila River Indian community in Arizona, south of Phoenix. Luckily, the pilot in that crash was able to eject the cockpit and escaped with minor injuries.