LOS ANGELES: Authorities announced Sunday night that a US Navy fighter jet crashed in the Southern California desert, killing the pilot.

According to a press release from the US Navy, pilot Lt. Richard Bullock, who was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 113 based at the Naval Air Station Lemoore in California, was killed when his F/A-18E Super Hornet crashed near Trona, about 260 kilometres north of Los Angeles downtown, at approximately 2:30 p.m. local time on Friday.

Bullock was on a routine training mission when his plane crashed in a remote, unpopulated area, according to the Navy, which also stated that no civilians were injured as a result of the incident, which was still under investigation, and that the crash site had been secured by Navy and local authorities.

"The navy mourns Lieutenant Bullock's untimely loss alongside his family, friends, and shipmates," the statement added. 

Bullock was a member of Strike Fighter Squadron 113, headquartered at the Naval Air Station Lemoore in California. According to its website, the air facility is around 240 miles north-west of Trona and is home to 16 attack jet units.

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