Pilot killed in combat jet crash near San Diego base identified as Maj. Andrew Mettler, Marine known as "Simple Jack"

The U.S. military has identified the Marine Corps pilot who was killed Thursday when his combat jet crashed near a San Diego base during a training flight.

Maj. Andrew Mettler was piloting an F/A-18D Hornet when it went down at 11:54 p.m. Thursday near Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing said in a statement from its headquarters in Cherry Point, North Carolina.

Searchers recovered Mettler's body at the site, and the crash remains under investigation.

Known as "Simple Jack," Mettler was a native of Georgia and stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in South Carolina. He was commissioned in 2007 and was a leader in his squadron, the Fighting Bengals, at the time of his death.

"I had the great honor of flying in an F/A-18D with Simple Jack and will always remember his skill piloting the Hornet and his wry smile," Maj. Gen. Scott Benedict, the commanding general of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, said in a statement.

Mettler had been selected to be promoted to lieutenant colonel, the Marine Corps Times reported, citing congressional records.

The pilot of an F/A-18D Hornet that crashed on the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar base has been identified https://t.co/3lzaudTyUH

— CBS 8 San Diego (@CBS8) August 26, 2023

Mettler's career awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Korea Defense Service Medal.

"Maj. Mettler's legacy will remain with every Marine, Sailor and civilian that he served with, and we have the obligation to continue to uphold the values that he stood for," Benedict said. "He will be deeply missed within the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing and among his brothers and sisters at the Fighting Bengals."

Mettler graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2007, according to his LinkedIn page.  

The crash site was described as government property east of the air station.

MCAS Miramar houses over 12,000 Marines, sailors and civilians. The base is about 10 miles north of San Diego. 

CBS affiliate KFMB-TV reported the last F/A-18 Hornet to crash in San Diego was in 2008, when an aircraft slammed into a home in the University City area, killing four family members inside.

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• U.S. Marine Corps
• Plane Crash
• San Diego
• California