Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornets fly to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., Sept. 21, 2023. (Daniel Childs/U.S. Marine Corps)
AUSTIN, Texas — A Marine Corps squadron is investigating an incident in which one of its fighter jets flew too close to two private aircraft last month at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, according to the service and the Federal Aviation Administration.
An F/A-18C Hornet assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323 of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing was conducting routine training in the Brownwood Military Operating Area northwest of Austin, and subsequently conducted refueling operations at Austin-Bergstrom Airport when the incident occurred Sept. 23, said Maj. Natalie Batcheler, spokeswoman for the wing. The squadron is headquartered at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar near San Diego.
The jet encountered two civilian aircraft at about noon, according to the FAA. The pilot of a Cessna Citation jet took evasive action after receiving an onboard alert that the Marine fighter jet was nearby, the administration said. The military jet also flew near another runway while a Piper PA-28 was preparing for takeoff.
The military pilot was practicing a maneuver called a break, which involves making a sharp turn to reduce speed before landing, according to a report in The Washington Post. Radio traffic between the military pilot and air traffic control at the airport indicted a miscommunication between the two, according to the Post.
“A preliminary assessment of the event at the Austin-Bergstrom airport indicates that the pilot complied with air traffic control direction. The Marine Corps is investigating and is in full cooperation with the FAA,” Batcheler said.
The FAA said its investigation into the incident is ongoing, and it has not yet been determined how close the military jet came to the civilian aircraft.
It is common for military aircraft to practice landing at civilian airports, said a defense official familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity. The stop in Austin was planned as part of a weekend training event in and near the city, the official said.
