The two F/A-18C Hornets have not been recovered, Navy officials say. (Courtesy: US Navy)
LEMOORE, Calif. – A Navy fighter pilot presumed dead after two jets crashed in the far western Pacific Ocean has been identified.
The Navy said Sunday that the pilot was Lt. Nathan Poloski, a 26-year-old native of Lake Arrowhead.
He was the subject of a 36-hour search in the waters off the U.S. territory of Wake Island after two F/A-18C Hornets collided in midair Friday. The other pilot safely ejected, was rescued from the ocean by helicopter and was treated and released from medical facilities aboard the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson.
The pilots and their squadron were from Carrier Air Wing 17 based at Naval Air Station Lemoore in California's San Joaquin Valley.
Poloski was a 2009 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.
The cause of the collision was under investigation.
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