During a training exercise, a Phoenix Air jet crashes in California, killing three people

One nautical mile away from San Clemente Island, the plane crashed after taking off from Point Mugu, a Navy base on the mainland.

According to their employer Phoenix Air, three personnel died in a jet crash early this week off the coast of California’s San Clemente Island while participating in a U.S. Navy training exercise. The three were all members of the Phoenix Air Learjet 36 flight crew. At around 7:40 a.m. local time on Wednesday, the jet crashed into the water off San Clemente Island in Southern California, according to the Xinhua news agency.

Between 1973 and 1993, Learjet produced the Learjet 36, a multi-purpose commercial jet and military transport aircraft. The Navy owns San Clemente Island, the southernmost of the California Channel Islands, which is home to a military runway, training facilities, and the last remaining ship-to-shore live fire range for the Navy.

The business claims that the aircraft took off from Point Mugu, a Navy base on the mainland, and crashed about a mile from San Clemente Island. One of two Phoenix Air Learjets that were taking part in a Navy training exercise was damaged, while the other one made a safe landing. A military-only area was where both planes were flying.

At the Cartersville-Bartow County Airport, northwest of Atlanta, Georgia, Phoenix Air is a charter airline and a government and military contractor.