Navy pilot killed in California desert crash is identified

TRONA, Calif. (AP) — The Navy has made public the identity of a pilot killed in the crash of a fighter jet in the Southern California desert last week.

Lt. Richard Bullock was killed Friday afternoon when his F/A-18E Super Hornet went down in the vicinity of the small Mojave Desert community of Trona, Naval Air Forces said in a statement Sunday night. Nobody on the ground was hurt.

Bullock was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 113 based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. His home of record was listed only as Montana, according to a biographical data sheet. He was commissioned in 2016.

The Navy said Bullock was flying a routine training mission.

“The incident is currently under investigation and the scene of the crash is secured by Navy and local authorities while recovery efforts are ongoing,” the statement said. “The Navy mourns this tragic loss alongside the family, friends and shipmates of Lt. Bullock.”