Hawker Hunter MK-58 pilot dies after his plane crashed just east of Pacific Coast Highway in Port Hueneme on Wednesday, officials said.
Kimberly Gearhart, a spokesperson for Naval Base Ventura County said that the Hawker Hunter MK-58, operated by Airborne Tactical Advantage Co. (ATAC) is a one person jet that stimulates threats during training missions. It is formerly used by the British Royal Air Service.
"This aircraft was returning home ... was on its final approach to land and something went wrong," Gearhart said.
Ventura County Fire Department was present in the crash site. A spokesman of the fire department recounted that the jet came down at around 5:13 p.m. in an agricultural land near Hueneme Road at Highway 1.
Matt Bannon, ATAC spokesman, told that all of the company's pilots are properly trained and are former military pilots with at least 2,000 hours of flight experience.
The tail number on the jet showed that it was registered under Hunter Aviation International, Inc., a military contractor. However company officials cleared on Wednesday that the aircraft was recently sold to Lortie, another company and was operated under ATAC.
Gearhart later confirmed that the pilot was a civilian working under a contractor.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesman Allen Kenitzer said that the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the crash, with the NTSB serving as the lead agency.
Another Hawker Hunter was reported to crash in that same area in May 2012 unfortunately leaving the pilot dead, same as with today's plane crash. It was based in Point Mugu Naval Air Station and crashed in a field in Camarillo.
