The U.S. Marine Corps has ordered all of its aircraft to stand down for one day after two F/A-18C Hornets from the same squadron crashed in the past week. One crash killed a pilot.
(FOX)- “There will be an operational pause for all [Marine Air Wings], not including deployed units for one day within the next seven business days,” said Capt. Sarah Burns, a Marine spokesperson told Fox News in an email Thursday. Burns called the safety stand-down “routine.”
Earlier this week, Fox News was first to report the second crash of a Marine F/A-18C Hornet in less than a week. Both jets that crashed came from the same squadron, VMFA-232.
Marine commanders can decide exactly when within the next week to pause flights, Burns told the Marine Corps Times, which was first to report news of the 24-hour stand-down.
Fox News was first to report the dire state of Marine Corps aviation. During a visit to two Marine Corps bases in April, Fox News learned that nearly 70% of Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornets and a similar number of Ch-53 Super Stallion helicopters couldn’t fly.