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Marine Corps warplane crashes in California, killing pilot

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TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. (AP) — A Marine Corps jet crashed in the California desert and the pilot was killed, the service said Friday.

The F/A-18C warplane went down around 10:30 p.m. Thursday during a training mission at Twentynine Palms, according to a statement from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, the aircraft’s San Diego-area base.

The sprawling Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center is located at Twentynine Palms, about 140 miles (225 kilometers) east of Los Angeles.

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The pilot from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing was not immediately identified. He had flown from Miramar to Twentynine Palms to support the training mission, said Capt. Kurt Stahl, a spokesman for the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

“We all feel like we lost a member of our family here today,” he said.

The cause of the crash was under investigation.

The nature of the training mission was not specified.

The F/A-18C is a twin-engine fighter-attack aircraft capable of multiple types of missions.

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