( CNN ) -- A military contractor 's plane crashed Wednesday upon approach to a Navy air base in Southern California , killing the sole person aboard . The aircraft , operated by the Airborne Tactical Advantage Company , went down as it was nearing Naval Base Ventura County in Oxnard , about halfway between the coastal cities of Santa Barbara and Santa Monica . Capt . Mike Lindberry , a spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department , tweeted it 's not known whether the Hunter Hawker aircraft 's pilot `` ejected or if chute was part of ( the ) debris field . '' ATAC flies small jets used in exercises at the Navy base , according to base spokeswoman Kimberly Gearhart . She said that the contractor leases space on the base . Naval Base Ventura County was established in 2000 , combining two World War II-era locales in Naval Air Station Point Mugu and Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme . It 's now home to more than 80 military commands , according to the base 's website . CNN 's J.R. Nichols and Mayra Cuevas contributed to this report .
A Hunter Hawker aircraft goes down near Naval Base Ventura County in California . It 's operated by Airborne Tactical Advantage Company , which flies in military exercises . It 's not known whether pilot ejected or whether the chute was part of the debris field .