Military cargo plane, fighter jet collide near Salton Sea
A military KC-130 cargo plane collided with a fighter jet Tuesday afternoon over Imperial County, according to the United States Marine Corps and the California Highway Patrol.
At about 4 p.m., an F-35B jet made contact with the cargo plane during an air-to-air refueling effort, causing the jet to crash, the Marine Corps said in a statement. The jet’s pilot — its sole occupant — ejected from the craft and is being treated for injuries that are not life threatening, 1st Lt. Brett Vannier said.
The cargo plane made an emergency landing in a nearby farm area and is now at an airport in Thermal. All eight crew members of the cargo plane are safe, Vannier said.
Emergency personnel were on the scene. KYMA-TV reported that there were fires around the site of the crash.
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