Fishing boat captain who rescued Navy pilots after jet crash describes surreal moment: 'What we see in movies'

A sportfishing charter vessel skipper who rescued 2 parachuting Navy pilots aft witnessing their unmanned combatant pitchy plummet into San Diego Bay described what helium saw arsenic thing from a movie.

The U.S. Navy electronic-warfare aircraft, a Boeing EA-18G Growler, crashed into San Diego Bay adjacent Naval Air Station North Island conscionable aft 10:15 a.m. Wednesday.

Capt. Brandon Viets of Premier Sportfishing had 12 radical connected committee his vessel for recreational sportfishing adjacent connected what helium called a "normal day," erstwhile everything abruptly went south.

An representation from video footage of a U.S. subject combatant pitchy crashing into San Diego Bay Wednesday. (Premier Sportfishing/Brandon Viets)

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"Normally we perceive jets taking off, due to the fact that North Island is close determination adjacent to us, little than a fractional mile away," Viets told Fox News Digital. 

However, connected Wednesday's trip, helium said, a adjacent pitchy was louder than usual, capturing his attention.

"We were cruising out, and erstwhile I looked back, I saw a pitchy astatine astir oculus level, astir a fewer 100 yards disconnected the backmost of the boat," helium said. "I looked to the close of that jet, and I saw 2 parachutes with 2 guys falling down."

Navy combatant pitchy pilots successful acheronian uniforms aboard Capt. Brandon Viets' sportfishing vessel aft his unit rescued the soldiers who ejected from their level earlier it crashed successful San Diego Bay Wednesday. (Premier Sportfishing/Brandon Viets)

Viets described the surreal feeling of watching the combatant pitchy flying, not knowing if anyone was onboard piloting it.

"At that point, I'm like, ‘Holy moly,’" helium said. "Like, this is what we spot successful movies."

Without hesitation, Viets took to the PA strategy to notify the crew.

"I was telling them, 'Hey, we're going. We've got to spell help,'" helium said. "'We don't cognize if they are injured oregon not oregon if determination are radical successful the water, and we request to get them retired of there.'"

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The unit turned the vessel astir and sped toward the pilots.

Viets said the vessel was going arsenic accelerated arsenic the motor allowed, and they were soon adjacent to the 2 soaked work members.

The level was inactive successful the air.

"As soon arsenic I pulled up to them, I was yelling to them, conscionable to marque definite they were OK," helium said. "Then I heard this large noise, boom, and [the jet] deed the h2o little than an eighth of a mile distant from us."

The subject craft crashed connected the different broadside of the channel, Viets said.

A photograph taken by the unit of Premier Sportfishing Capt. Brandon Viets' unit of the Navy pitchy earlier it crashed successful San Diego Bay. (Premier Sportfishing/Brandon Viets)

He described a "plume" of sand, muck and water, astatine slightest 80 feet high, shooting up from the bay.

Viets' unit retrieved each the boat's information gear, including information ladders, and positioned the vessel adjacent the pilots successful the water.

Both pilots were pulled from the h2o and were coherent, according to Viets.

"I didn't inquire thing astir what happened oregon the plane. I was conscionable disquieted astir them," helium said. "I asked astir however they were, and their composure was beauteous bully for what conscionable happened. They were beauteous calm and collected astir it, but you could inactive spot a batch of [things] going connected successful their brains."

Crew members instructed the pilots to beryllium down and aboriginal were met by the Coast Guard.

A Navy vas past picked the pilots up and took them to a adjacent dock, Viets said. The sportfishing vessel joined and stayed with the authorities for astir 45 minutes.

First responders get astatine a downed combatant pitchy successful San Diego Bay Wednesday. (KFMB)

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The Coast Guard San Diego Office confirmed the work members were past transferred to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Air and Marine Operations.

"Then the Coast Guard said, ‘OK, you guys are bully to go,'" Viets said. "We went sportfishing aft that and caught a fewer food for a mates of hours."

Both pilots were taken to a infirmary and were reportedly successful unchangeable condition, according to the Coast Guard.

Military combatant pitchy crashes into San Diego Bay (X/@SanDiegoWebCam)

Viets said the unit assisted a fewer tiny backstage boats successful the past that sank, but Wednesday's incidental was unique.

"We person assisted smaller vessels, helping idiosyncratic get disconnected their vessel oregon if they request a pump oregon thing tiny similar that, but thing involving an craft that crashed — oregon pilots with parachutes successful the water," helium said. "Nothing similar that."

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He added it took a portion for the gravity of the day's events to descend in.

"It took maine a small portion to instrumentality it successful and conscionable to think, 'I'm gladsome that level landed determination wherever it didn't wounded anyone,'" Viets said. "I'm inactive thinking, ‘Luckily, it landed determination safe, not connected land, and those 2 pilots look to beryllium OK.’"

A Navy EA-18G Growler crashed Wednesday into San Diego Bay. (KGTV)

The origin of the clang has not yet been released by Naval Base Coronado’s Emergency Operations Center, which is investigating.

However, H&M Landing, a sportfishing company, provided a connection to Fox News Digital claiming the craft experienced a "mechanical failure."

A Navy authoritative told Fox News Digital it is unclear if a distress awesome was sent retired anterior to the crash, and the pilots person not been publically identified.

As of Thursday, the Navy is continuing efforts to safely region the craft from the bay arsenic rapidly arsenic possible, portion minimizing biology impact, according to a statement. Weather conditions whitethorn hold the timeline. 

A Boeing EA-18G Growler pitchy combatant with the VAQ-141, successful Kanagawa, Japan.  (Damon Coulter/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

In a connection Thursday, the Naval Air Forces said it is starring efforts to measure and coordinate the jet's retrieval, and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group One is the tactical commandant for salvage operations.

"Some pieces of debris whitethorn lucifer weapons oregon classified components and whitethorn contiguous a hazard if handled," it said successful the statement.

The nationalist is powerfully advised not to approach, interaction oregon cod immoderate debris that whitethorn lavation ashore. They are besides asked to stay wide of the country and not interfere with the recovery.

The wreck came aft a caller drawstring of fatal level crashes crossed the country.

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An Army Black Hawk chopper collided midair with a commercialized rider level near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Jan. 29, sidesplitting 67 people.

In the pursuing days, level crashes in Pennsylvania and Alaska claimed the lives of 17 people.

Most recently, a backstage pitchy owned by Mötley Crüe pb vocalist Vince Neil was progressive successful a fatal clang Monday astatine Scottsdale Airport successful Arizona.