The pilot survived, and details of the accident.

The military confirmed that the pilot survived after successfully ejecting moments before the crash. He was later found and transported to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries. A statement from the Marine Corps indicated that the aircraft belonged to the 3rd Marine Air Wing, based at Miramar Air Station in San Diego, California.

The military described the incident as a “non-fatal aviation accident.” It occurred approximately 55 miles southeast of Seattle.

Firefighters are mobilized to extinguish the fires

The Yakima County Sheriff’s Office reported that the crash site is near Lake Rimrock. The incident sparked a wildfire in the Okanogan-Wenachi National Forest.

Due to the fire’s rapid spread, authorities took immediate action to evacuate hikers and campers from the surrounding area for their safety.

Authorities deployed ground firefighting crews, supported by specialized forest firefighting helicopters, in an effort to control the flames and prevent their spread to wider areas.

A thorough investigation is underway to determine the precise cause of the fighter jet’s loss of control and subsequent crash into the mountain. This is being done while an ongoing assessment of the environmental damage caused to the national forest by the fire is also being conducted.

The F/A-18 Hornet is a mainstay of the U.S. Marine Corps and Navy. Despite its long operational history, training accidents do occur. The military takes these incidents very seriously, launching thorough technical investigations to uncover any potential defects or human error. Such errors can occur during challenging maneuvers and training flights conducted by the fighters in diverse terrains.

Credits: Newswires

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The budget airline branded the possible takeover approach from Castlelake as “highly opportunistic” and said it has not held talks with the US investment fund.

Castlelake revealed late on Friday, after the stock market close in London, that it was in the early stages of considering an offer for easyJet, but had not yet approached the firm’s board.

The American firm, which confirmed it owns a stake of around 2.14% in easyJet through shares held on behalf of funds it manages, said on Monday any offer would be for “no less than” 403.23p a share, valuing the airline at a minimum of £3.06 billion. Shares closed on Friday at 398p each.

The carrier said the takeover interest comes at a time when its share price has been pushed lower by worries over the impact of the Iran war on the airline sector.

The budget airline said on Monday: “The board notes the highly opportunistic timing when easyJet’s share price is temporarily depressed due to the current situation in the Middle East and its impact on customer confidence and jet fuel prices.”

It highlighted its strong financial position and said it remained focused on its medium-term target to deliver more than £1 billion in pre-tax profits.

The Luton-based firm said it also “notes the considerable regulatory, financial and other execution challenges associated with a potential takeover of easyJet”.

However, it said it has a duty to maximise shareholder value and would “consider any proposal, should one be made”.

Castlelake has until 5pm on June 26 make a firm offer or walk away under UK takeover rules.

Led by executive chairman and founder Rory O’Neill, Castlelake and has assets under management worth $36 billion (£27 billion).

It entered talks in January with bankrupt US carrier Spirit Airlines over a possible takeover.

Castlelake has also previously bailed out collapsed Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) and then sold on its shares to Air France-KLM.

Richard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor, said a swoop on easyJet would “capitalise on a share price which has fallen by 31% over the last year, with the company flitting in and out of the FTSE 100”.

“In addition, easyJet now has the traditionally loss-making first half of its year out of the way, while its holiday business continues to grow at pace, underlining its potential attractiveness,” he said.

In interim results last month, easyJet reported that bookings for summer flights were lower than the same point last year because of uncertainty caused by the conflict in the Middle East.

It posted a half-year pre-tax loss of £552 million, compared with a loss of £401m a year ago.

Credits: The Herald

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