A Marine Corps pilot escaped serious injury when his jet crashed and burned at the Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms Tuesday. Shortly after 6 p.m., A Marine Corps spokesman said the F/A-18 Hornet had touched down on the base and after he touched down, the pilot ejected. The jet then burst into flames and burned. The spokesman said the pilot was not injured, but was taken to a hospital as a precaution. The unidentified pilot is reported to be from Marine Aircraft Group-31 in Beaufort, South Carolina. The cause of the crash is under investigation. The crash comes three months after a July 27 crash that killed a pilot when the F/A-18 jet went down during a training mission at the Combat Center. Marine Major Richard Norton was stationed at Miramar. Then two weeks later, on August 13, another FA/18 Hornet from Miramar made an emergency landing on the base when a warning light indicated a possible fire on board the plane. The pilot landed the jet safely.
