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Four pilots rescued after Navy jet collision off North Carolina coast

Posted at 12:28 PM, May 26, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-26 15:37:30-04

OREGON INLET, N.C. - Two Navy fighters collided off the North Carolina Coast on Thursday and a fishing boat rescued all four crew members, officials said.

The two F/A-18F Super Hornets "were involved in a flight mishap" about 10:40 a.m., said Ensign Mark Rockwellpate, a Navy spokesperson.

A commercial fishing crew plucked four aviators, two from each aircraft, from the Atlantic Ocean about 25 miles east of Oregon Inlet, the Coast Guard said.

The survivors were hoisted into a HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and flown to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Virginia. No information was immediately available regarding injuries, Rockwellpate said.

The crews were participating in a routine training mission off Cape Hatteras, the Navy said.

CNN affiliate WTKR in Norfolk reported that two of the crew members were able to walk to the hospital from the helicopter while the others were able to move themselves to awaiting stretchers.

The fighters are assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 211, nicknamed the "Fighting Checkmates," based at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach.