[kellyhound]

A U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18D Hornet fighter jet crashed near Rimrock Lake in Yakima County, Washington, triggering a wildfire and emergency evacuations.

The crash occurred on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at approximately 12:15 p.m. The jet went down on a forested hillside near Rimrock Lake in the Cascade Mountain region, roughly 55 miles southeast of Seattle and east of Mount Rainier.

The incident took place along the well-known VR-1355 military low-level training route.

The sole pilot onboard successfully ejected before impact. A Yakima County mountain pass sheriff's deputy located the pilot, who walked away with only minor injuries and was hospitalized for evaluation.

The destroyed aircraft was a legacy F/A-18D Hornet with registration no 165412 assigned to the VMFA-323 "Death Rattlers" squadron out of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California.

The jet had temporarily deployed to Boeing Field in Seattle before the routine training mission.

The impact ignited a forest fire dubbed the Pine Tree Fire, which grew to about two acres. Due to the smoke and proximity to the flames, local agencies evacuated campers and closed the Forest Road 1200 system on the south side of Rimrock Lake, alongside Tieton Reservoir Road.

The Naches Fire Department, the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Natural Resources deployed helicopters for air drops and ground engines.

Firefighters successfully completed structure protection for the nearby Bear Creek cabins, and the blaze reached 30% containment by Saturday evening.

The Marine Corps officially classified the event as a "non-fatal aviation mishap." Witnesses reported hearing popping sounds coming from the aircraft right before it went down.

Official military investigation teams are handling the crash site, and a thorough probe into the mechanical or operational cause is expected to take several months.

[durt]

''Witnesses reported hearing popping sounds coming from the aircraft right before it went down.''

Maybe was eating birds