It happened on June 13 in Washington State, but the footage was just released Friday, and it’s incredible.
A Marine Corp. pilot not only survived a major crash, but he walked away mostly intact, and although he admitted to being frazzled, he remained remarkably calm and composed.
Yakima County police were flooded with concerned calls from witnesses following the accident. The pilot himself had made one of those 911 calls and said, “I’m on the other side of the ridge. I do see a fire burning to the south of the road. I can’t tell how bad that fire is.”
Sheriff’s deputies searching the area found the unnamed pilot walking down a road in the forest. An officer first confirmed that he had been flying solo, then he asked what kind of aircraft was involved.
The pilot answered, “That's an F — well, it was an F-18.”
“We were doing circles over the lake, doing some low-level training,” he added. “And then I tucked in, and I'm not sure exactly.”
Although he was bloodied up by the branches he encountered as he parachuted down, he otherwise looked to be in remarkably good condition.
Watch:
Newly released video shows the aftermath of a Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet crashing into a mountain in Washington state in June. pic.twitter.com/nJm6ElHip6
— CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil (@CBSEveningNews) August 14, 2026
It’s a good thing he ejected, because the crash looked unsurvivable. Military authorities have not released (or maybe have not yet determined) the cause, but at the time they described it as a "non-fatal aviation mishap."
The F/A-18 Hornet aircraft slammed into a mountainside on June 13, in the area of Rimrock Lake, about 55 miles southeast of Seattle, sending a plume of black smoke into the air and igniting a wildfire.
The pilot assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, in Miramar, California, is seen with his face bloodied and appearing a little shaken up in the body camera footage released Friday by the Yakima County Sheriff's Office.
WATCH: New video of a US Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet crashing into a hillside near Rimrock Lake, Washington on Saturday.
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) June 15, 2026
The pilot safely ejected from the aircraft before the crash and was transported to a hospital, according to Naches Fire.
In a statement, the Marine Corps… pic.twitter.com/DZbKjOKJ1C
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When he called in to report the crash of the $67 million aircraft, he continued to remain remarkably calm. (Note: a new F/A-18E/F Super Hornet would cost approximately $67.4 million, but he was reportedly flying an older model F/A-18D Legacy Hornet, which could have cost significantly less.)
'Hey, buddy, I just crashed,' the pilot says before the footage cuts to his parachute dangling from a tree.
The pilot told officers he went through trees during his descent after ejecting, as they examined his bloody face, which appeared to have suffered parachute-related lacerations.
The aircraft slammed into a mountainside near Rimrock Lake, about 55 miles southeast of Seattle.
When the aircraft slammed into the mountainside, it sent a plume of black smoke into the sky and sparked a raging wildfire.
It had to be jarring, to say the least, to eject from an aircraft, come barreling into the forest canopy, have branches clawing at your face, and yet still have the wherewithal to call 911 and go find help.
This pilot is the definition of cool under fire.
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