U.S. Navy Jet Crashes in Death Valley National Park, Injuring 7 on Ground and Killing Pilot

Updated: 1:00 p.m. PT

A U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet jet crashed during a training mission Wednesday morning in Death Valley National Park, resulting in minor injuries for seven park visitors, according to Navy and park officials.

The U.S. Navy said in a statement Thursday that it has also confirmed the death of the pilot, but the pilot's identity will be withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin in accordance with Defense Department policy.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Death Valley National Park public information officer Patrick Taylor told NPR seven park visitors suffered minor injuries as a result of the single-seater jet crashing into a canyon wall.

KABC-TV spoke to tourists who said they were treated at a hospital for minor burns and cuts from flying fragments after the plane crashed and exploded.

The injured tourists told the news station they were taking photos of the sweeping landscape when the jet screamed into view and slammed into the canyon wall. The lookout point is popular with photographers and aviation buffs who gawk at jets flying in the steep, narrow canyon. Officials closed the area after the crash.

"At approximately 10:00 a.m PST an F/A-18E crashed near @NAWS_CL. Search-and-rescue efforts are underway," according to a tweet by the Naval Air Forces. NAWS CL stands for Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. It is in the Western Mojave Desert region of California, about 150 miles north of Los Angeles.

The aircraft was based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif., said Navy spokeswoman Lt. Cmdr. Lydia Bock. The squadron is part of an air group attached to the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis.

The crash sent dark smoke billowing in the air, said Aaron Cassell, who was working at his family's Panamint Springs Resort about 10 miles away and was the first to report the crash to park dispatch.

"I just saw a black mushroom cloud go up," Cassell told The Associated Press. "Typically you don't see a mushroom cloud in the desert."

A jet that was following the downed craft pulled up and began circling, Cassell said. He didn't see any parachute.

His father drove up to the area after the crash and saw a large black scorch mark and shattered parts of the jet scattered throughout the area between the parking lot and lookout, said Cassell. A nose cone from the jet was the size of a bowling ball and the rest of the debris was no larger than a ball cap.

Military jets are not supposed to fly over national parks, but an exception was made for a section of the park that has become a popular site to watch military training flights known as Star Wars Canyon, because the maneuvers resemble scenes from the science fiction films of aircraft speeding through canyons, according to ABC 10 News in San Diego.

NPR's Greg Myre contributed to this report.

Associated Press reporters Christopher Weber and John Antczak also contributed to this story.