The pilot of a jet that crashed near a U.S. Navy range in Nevada was killed , the Navy said in a press release Sunday . The pilot 's name is being withheld until family has been notified . The crash of the U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18C happened about noon ET Saturday at Naval Air Station Fallon , about 60 miles east of Reno . The aircraft appears to be a `` total loss , '' the Navy said . It took several hours for Navy personnel to reach the crash site because it was in remote , mountainous terrain , and an overnight snowstorm made getting to the scene more difficult . The Navy had initially said the aircraft was a Navy Hornet , but it was actually a Marine Corps F/A-18C on loan to the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center for use as a training aircraft , the Navy said . The aircraft was not carrying any weapons or other munitions on the training flight , the Navy said , and no other injuries or property damage have been reported . The cause of the crash is being investigated . Naval Air Station Fallon is a popular training site because of its weather , which provides `` more than 300 clear flying days per year '' and its facilities , which include four bombing ranges , an electronic warfare range and a 14,000-foot runway , the longest in the Navy , the base 's website says . In January : Divers find body of missing pilot in Navy helicopter crash .
Body of the pilot is not being released until family is notified , Navy says . It took several hours for medical personnel to reach the mountainous crash site . Pilot , a U.S. Marine Corps F / A-18C , had no injuries on the flight , Navy says .