IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. — According to the Marine Corps, one of its fighter jets collided in mid-air with another plane during a refueling operation in a remote desert area of Southern California on Tuesday afternoon. The pilot of the jet ejected and his craft crashed near the Salton Sea, northeast of San Diego.
The other aircraft - which is assigned to MCAS Miramar - landed safely after the collision around 4 p.m., according to authorities.
Authorities said the F-35B jet collided with a Lockheed Martin KC-130J tanker.
The pilot who ejected was being treated as of Tuesday night and nobody aboard the tanker was hurt. The big tanker landed in Thermal in neighboring Riverside County.
Photos from the scene showed the plane on its belly in a farm field.
The official cause of the crash was under investigation, according to an official with MCAS Yuma.
