US Fighter Jet Crashes in Death Valley, 7 Park Visitors Hurt

A US Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet jet crashed on July 31 east of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in California, according to the US Navy.
US Fighter Jet Crashes in Death Valley, 7 Park Visitors Hurt
A U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet jet. MC2 James R. Evans/U.S. Navy
|Updated:

LOS ANGELES—A U.S. Navy fighter jet crashed Wednesday in Death Valley National Park, injuring seven people who were at a scenic overlook where aviation enthusiasts watch military pilots speeding low through a chasm dubbed Star Wars Canyon, officials said.

The crash sent dark smoke billowing in the air, said Aaron Cassell, who was working at his family’s Panamint Springs Resort about 10 miles (16 kilometers) away and was the first to report the crash to park dispatch.