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Navy Identifies Pilot Killed in F/A-18 Midair

Routine mission ends in tragedy in South Pacific.

The U.S. Navy has identified Lt. Nathan Poloski, a 26-year-old from Lake Arrowhead, California, as the pilot who was presumed killed in a collision between two F/A-18C Hornets over the Pacific Ocean on September 15.

Poloski was declared presumed deceased after the two Hornets collided during a routine flight off the USS Carl Vinson, the Navy said.

A 2009 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Poloski was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron VFA 94 in Lemoore, California.

An extensive search in the ocean west of Wake Island was unable to locate or recover any remains of the missing aviator or his airplane. The other F/A-18 pilot ejected safely and was rescued by helicopter.

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