Pilot killed in harrier jet crash near Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Base (MCAS) in North Carolina

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Play Video WRAL Raleigh – Harrier crashes at Cherry Point
Pilot killed in jet crash near NC Marine air base
HAVELOCK, N.C. – A Marine fighter jet crashed Monday about a mile short of a runway at an eastern North Carolina air base, killing the pilot, a Marine Corps spokesman said.
The single-seat plane was returning to the base after a training flight when it crashed about 12:30 p.m. in an unpopulated area, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point spokesman Mike Barton said. No one else was hurt, Barton said.
Local authorities say the crash, about a mile east of the base off N.C. Highway 101, did not affect the few homes in the area.
The pilot's identity was being withheld until next-of-kin was notified and an investigation had begun, Barton said. The AV-8B Harrier jet was assigned to Marine Attack Training Squadron 203.
Another Harrier crashed in February near Cherry Point, but the pilot wasn't injured. In May, a two-seat training model of the Harrier crashed in Arizona, but the pilots ejected safely.
Monday's crash comes the same month that a Marine jet crashed in a San Diego neighborhood near its base, killing four people on the ground.
WNCT-TV in Greenville reported that a hunter nearby said the jet was making an odd noise and belching smoke and flames before it crashed.
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On the Net:
Harrier squadron: https://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=Au6xnUX7trebGGJqE5_jKrFH2ocA/SIG=11ojsidp3/**https%3A//www.2maw.usmc.mil/MAG14/vmat203/default.asp
Article: HERE



Would like to know the pilot's name as soon as it becomes public. Our son, Major Todd Denson, also a Harrier pilot/instructor, was killed on Feb. 3, 2001 during a landing in which a student was flying the plane at Cherry Point. The student pilot was killed too. We offer our sympthy to this pilot's family.
Loretta and Dick Denson
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I am very sorry for your loss. Harriers are amazing to watch, and the pilots are very talented. If I come across more information, I will post it here.
Thank you very much for your comment, and I likewise offer my condolences to the pilot's family...
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