Navy jet crashes off coast of Florida, prompting water rescue mission

A Navy pilot was rescued by a helicopter off the coast of Key West, Florida, after being forced to eject from an F-5N training jet.

The jet crashed into the ocean about 25 miles from the Florida coast Wednesday morning while the pilot was found and saved by an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter and taken "to a Miami-area hospital for further evaluation," the Navy confirmed to Fox News Digital

The pilot, who has yet to be identified by the service, was assigned to Fighter Squadron Composite 111, or the "Sun Downers," according to a report from Military.com, and was based out of Naval Station Key West.

The aircraft was the Navy's F-5N "Adversary Aircraft," which is used to simulate enemy fighters during training.

According to the report, most of the pilots in the Sun Downers squadron are former F/A-18 Hornet pilots and most are graduates of the Navy's famed Top Gun flight school. The squadron is also a mix of active duty and reservist pilots.... (Read more)

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