Former TOPGUN pilot Matthew "Whiz" Buckley told Fox News Digital that the recent crash of a Marine Corps F-18 in Washington state — and the pilot's split-second decision to eject — highlights both the violence of the maneuver and how the ensuing shock can leave an aviator feeling eerily calm.
On June 13, 2026, Marine Corps Maj. Jackson Simon emerged from a wooded area with a bloodied face and walked down the road toward a Yakima County sheriff's deputy, whose bodycam captured the pilot appearing remarkably composed.
"I'm a little frazzled," was about as close as Simon came to expressing fear after his F-18 Hornet crashed into the forest and sparked a small wildfire near Rimrock Lake.
Buckley, who flew F-18 Hornets during his 15-year career in the U.S. Navy, said Simon was likely experiencing a combination of shock, an adrenaline letdown and the effects of training that teaches pilots to compartmentalize under pressure.
Eight Believed Dead After B-52 Crashes Shortly After Takeoff From Edwards Air Force Base
#corps
On June 13, 2026, Marine Corps Maj. Jackson Simon emerged from a wooded area with a bloodied face and walked down the road toward a Yakima County sheriff's deputy, whose bodycam captured the pilot appearing remarkably composed.
"I'm a little frazzled," was about as close as Simon came to expressing fear after his F-18 Hornet crashed into the forest and sparked a small wildfire near Rimrock Lake.
Buckley, who flew F-18 Hornets during his 15-year career in the U.S. Navy, said Simon was likely experiencing a combination of shock, an adrenaline letdown and the effects of training that teaches pilots to compartmentalize under pressure.
Eight Believed Dead After B-52 Crashes Shortly After Takeoff From Edwards Air Force Base
#corps
13 days ago
