HONOLULU — Authorities say the pilot of an airplane that crashed Wednesday in waters off Oahu during a military exercise is in serious condition.
Honolulu Emergency Services spokesman Dustin Malama says the 47-year-old appears to have traumatic injuries and was taken to a hospital.
The U.S. Coast Guard says the pilot is a civilian contractor for the Hawaii Air National Guard who was participating in a military exercise called Sentry Aloha at the time of the crash. The Hawaii Air National Guard was hosting the exercise, which involved about 800 personnel and 30 aircraft from nine states.
The Coast Guard says the pilot was rescued about 3 miles south of Oahu near Honolulu’s Sand Island.
It isn’t immediately known what caused the crash.
The crash prompted the state Department of Transportation to halt departing flights from Honolulu International Airport for about 20 minutes. DOT Spokesman Tim Sakahara said the flights were held as a precaution.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said a Hawker Hunter jet went down in the ocean around 2:25 p.m. after taking off from Honolulu’s airport.
The Hawker Hunter is a British jet developed in the late 1940s and early 1950s, said the website of defense contractor BAE Systems.
Initially, a single-seat version was used as a maneuverable fighter aircraft. It was later used as both a fighter and bomber and for reconnaissance missions.
The British navy and air force continued to use a two-seat version into the early 1990s.
Britain exported the plane, and it was also used by the air forces of 21 other nations.