Dramatic body‑camera footage shows deputies meeting a pilot who ejected before his F/A‑18 Hornet crashed into a mountainside near Rimrock Lake on June 13. The impact produced heavy black smoke and sparked a wildfire; a parachute was later seen snagged in a tree. The pilot, from Marine Aircraft Group 11 at Miramar, suffered minor facial lacerations and told responders he was conducting low‑level training when the jet "tucked in." An investigation into the non‑fatal aviation mishap is ongoing.
“Hey, buddy — I just crashed”: Bodycam Captures Pilot Walking Away After F/A-18 Impact Near Rimrock Lake
Yakima County Sheriff's Office - PHOTO: A still photo from body camera footage released by the Yakima County Sheriff's Office on Aug. 14, 2026, shows the moments local authorities encountered a pilot who had ejected from a military jet before it crashed in June.
Dramatic body‑camera footage released by the Yakima County Sheriff's Office shows deputies encountering a pilot who ejected from an F/A‑18 Hornet moments before the jet slammed into a mountainside near Rimrock Lake on June 13.
What Happened
The F/A‑18 struck a slope roughly 55 miles southeast of Seattle, producing a large plume of black smoke and sparking a wildfire after the crash. A parachute was later seen caught in a tree near the wreckage.
Footage Captures Aftermath
In the video, the pilot — assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, based in Miramar, California — appears bloodied and visibly shaken as he approaches responding deputies holding his phone with 911 dialed. When asked what type of jet it was, he replies, “That’s an F‑18. Well, that was an F‑18,” and describes the training flight: “We were doing circles over the lake, doing some low‑level training... and then I tucked in, and I’m not sure exactly.”
“Hey, buddy, I just crashed,” the pilot tells someone on the line during the footage.
Injuries And Response
Yakima County deputies reported the aviator sustained minor facial lacerations. Responders and witnesses helped secure the scene while local authorities fought the resulting fire. The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing called the event a “non‑fatal aviation mishap.”
Investigation
Officials say the cause of the crash remains under investigation. Authorities will review the aircraft's flight data, maintenance records and eyewitness accounts to determine what led to the impact.
Key facts: the crash occurred during a routine training sortie, the pilot successfully ejected and walked away from the immediate wreckage, and emergency crews responded to both the crash site and the wildfire ignited by the impact.
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