Local News in Brief : Mission Viejo : Marine Pilot in Crash Undergoes Operation
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The Marine Corps pilot who was pulled from the smoking wreckage of a jet fighter during an air show last month underwent surgery Thursday to repair facial fractures, authorities said.
Col. Jerry Cadick’s condition has also been upgraded to fair in the intensive care unit of Mission Community Hospital in Mission Viejo, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Cadick, 45, was performing a routine loop move in an F/A-18 Hornet jet fighter when the tail of the plane hit the runway as the jet flew close to the ground. An estimated 300,000 spectators witnessed the crash April 24 at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.
Cadick, a 26-year Marine veteran, had performed the loop at least three times in the week preceding the air show, Marine officials have said.
He was one of three El Toro pilots designated to fly the F/A-18 Hornet in air show demonstrations.
The cause of the $23-million jet’s crash remains under investigation, Marine Corps officials said.
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