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Harrier crashes near Lejeune, pilot ejects

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — An AV-8B Harrier with the aviation combat element of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit crashed roughly 60 miles from Camp Lejeune, N.C., on Wednesday afternoon.

The pilot ejected safely before the jet crashed near a large farm in Carteret County around 1 p.m., according to a II Marine Expeditionary Force press release. Carteret County is east of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., where the jet was based.

“A passerby stopped after seeing the pilot eject and let the pilot use his cell phone to call back to his unit,” Master Gunnery Sgt. Constance Heinz, a II MEF spokeswoman, wrote in an e-mail responding to questions about the crash. She said the pilot was taken to the Cherry Point outpatient clinic, where he remained late Wednesday afternoon.

A farm employee who witnessed the crash told the Jacksonville Daily News the pilot was Capt. Ian Stevens. The witness told the newspaper he let the pilot use his cell phone; he said he first called his wife to tell her he was OK, then his command.

The Harrier was one of three on a training flight when it lost engine power, according to the release. The other two Harriers returned safely to Cherry Point. The 24th MEU is preparing for its upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.