The Marine Corps pilot killed in crash near a San Diego base during a training flight on Thursday has been identified by the U.S. military.
Maj. Andrew Mettler was in control of an F/A-18D Hornet when it descended and crashed at 11:54 p.m. on Thursday in the vicinity of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. This information was communicated through a statement from the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is headquartered in Cherry Point, North Carolina.
The location where the incident occurred was thoroughly searched, and the body of Mettler was located at the crash site. Currently, an inquiry is ongoing to determine the circumstances that led to the crash.
Referred to as “Simple Jack,” Maj. Mettler hailed from Georgia and was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, located in South Carolina. He entered service in 2007 and held a leadership position within his squadron, known as the Fighting Bengals, at the time of his unfortunate passing.
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The crash location was described as government property situated to the east of the air station. This site, roughly 10 miles north of downtown San Diego, occupies a mainly uninhabited expanse of land.
Originally from Marietta, Georgia, Mettler completed his studies in mechanical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2007. That same year, he was commissioned, as indicated by both his LinkedIn profile and the statement released by the aircraft wing.
Over his extensive sixteen-year tenure with the Corps, he was assigned to various positions. These encompassed roles with Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101, situated in Miramar, California, as well as Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 225, stationed in Yuma, Arizona. Moreover, he returned to Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101, this time as an instructor pilot, based on information available through the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.
Read Also: https://www.foxnews.com/us/us-fa-18-hornet-crashes-san-diegos-marine-corps-air-station-miramar
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