Military jet crash kills 3 in San Diego

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- A military F/A-18 fighter crashed into a San Diego neighborhood while trying to land at a nearby air base Monday, killing three people, officials said.

The pilot of the crippled jet ejected and apparently was uninjured. The plane exploded on impact and destroyed three houses in the University City area.

San Diego fire officials said the victims were discovered in one of the homes. A grandmother, a mother and two children lived in a house that was hit, officials said.

Authorities said the mother and one of the children died. The third victim had not yet been unidentified, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"My heart goes out to the family of the victims and to the community of University City," San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders said.

Neighbors told the Times they heard the engine sputter and then saw the jet wobble before it crashed. Witnesses said they saw the pilot wandering around, apparently in a daze, after the crash.

The San Diego Union-Tribune said the aircraft was attached to the 3rd Marine Air Wing at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station. The unit consists of Marine and Navy pilots.

The plane's flight originated from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which was on a training cruise off the coast. The F/A-18 normally carries a crew of two; however, only one pilot was aboard the doomed plane.

The twin-engine aircraft apparently experienced engine trouble and was attempting to land at Miramar shortly before noon PST when it lost power completely.

The crash prompted the lockdown of a nearby high school for a time.