The Navy has confirmed that one fin from a captive air training missile came loose from its perch on the wing of an F/A-18C Hornet, fell from the sky, and embedded itself in the hood of an unoccupied truck in Virginia Beach, Va., Thursday. There were no injuries associated with the accident, which took place shortly before noon near an intersection by a shopping mall. The missile itself, which carries no live explosives, fuels or propellants, stayed with the aircraft, which landed safely at Naval Air Station Oceana. Local news outlets were quick to note the episode wasn’t entirely unique.
Thursday’s event sparked local news outlets to recall a 2007 incident in which a Hornet dropped an inert training bomb onto a wall near a warehouse in North Carolina. No one was hurt in that incident, either. The aircraft involved in Thursday’s episode was returning from a training flight when the accident occurred. It is attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 131 and suffered no reported damage. The Navy is investigating.
