2 fighter pilots rescued off SC coast

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT (AP) - A Marine Corps F/A-18 pilot and his weapons officer tried to make it back home after both engines on their warplane failed and a fire broke out, but they were forced to eject and ditch the aircraft in the ocean, a spokesman said Thursday.

"The fire was making its way toward the cockpit, so they determined they could not make it back and they were forced to eject," said Marine Corps spokesman Gunnery Sgt. Chad McMeen.

The accident Wednesday ended safely when the duo were plucked from a survival raft by a Coast Guard search and rescue crew from Charleston, McMeen said.

"It really was a miracle. They were back on land within about two hours of the incident," McMeen said.

Neither man suffered serious injuries, but they were sent for medical evaluations as a precaution, the spokesman said.

The names of the two Marines were being withheld while they contact their families.

An investigation will begin into why the $29 million fighter jet suffered the engine failures.

McMeen said the two detected a problem while they were conducting a training mission about 60 miles off shore. The aircraft hit the water about 35 miles off the coast of St. Helena Sound north of Beaufort.

A Coast Guard cutter has been patrolling the crash site to help locate and recover pieces of the plane, he said.