Fighter jet crashes in California during training mission, killing one Marine

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. - A two-seat fighter jet crashed as it tried to land during a training exercise, killing one Marine and injuring another, a spokeswoman said. <br> <br> The crash took place shortly after 2 p.m. on Sunday at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, said Capt. Teresa Ovalle. The pilot and weapons system officer both ejected from the F/A-18 Hornet, she said. The pilot was treated at Robert E. Bush Naval Hospital and released. <br> <br> The weapons system officer died of a heart attack about four hours later at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs after suffering injuries to his head and internal organs, said Stephanie D. Stratton, an administrative nursing supervisor. The names of the officer and the injured pilot are being withheld pending notification of their families. <br> <br> The crash happened about 135 miles east of Los Angeles. <br> <br> Both Marines belonged to the Second Marine Aircraft Wing in Beaufort, S.C., where seven F/A-18 squadrons are stationed. <br> <br> The men were part of a three-week exercise that included nearly 3,400 Marines from North Carolina and South Carolina. The mission involved air and ground live-fire combat. <br> <br> It was the third deadly training accident in California in 12 days. <br> <br> Two Camp Pendleton Marines were killed in a military helicopter crash near the California-Arizona border on Thursday. Three Marines died Feb. 6 when a 5-ton truck rolled over during a night artillery exercise at Camp Pendleton, about 45 miles north of San Diego. <br> <br>