Navy identifies fighter jet pilot killed in California desert crash

Courtesy U.S. Naval Forces

(SAN DIEGO) -- Lt. Richard Bullock, a U.S. Navy pilot, was killed in a plane crash in California on Friday, the Navy said on Monday.

“The Navy mourns this tragic loss alongside the family, friends and shipmates of Lt. Bullock,” Navy officials said in a statement.

Bullock was killed when his F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet crashed near Trona, California, at about 2:30 p.m. local time on Friday, the Navy said.

He had been flying a routine training mission when his plane went down in a “remote, unpopulated area,” the Navy said. No civilians were injured in the crash, officials said.

Recovery efforts are ongoing, with Navy officials and local authorities at the scene of the crash.

ABC News' Marilyn Heck, Matt Seyler and Brian Reiferson contributed to this report.

Monday, June 6, 2022 at 6:41AM by Kevin Shalvey, ABC News Permalink