Marine captain identified as pilot killed in TopGun crash
The pilot killed in the crash of an F/A-18C Hornet in northern Nevada was identified Saturday as Marine Capt. Reid Nannen.
Nannen, 32, of Hopedale, Ill., was killed March 1 when the plane crashed 70 miles east of the Naval Air Station at Fallon, Nev. He was a student at the TopGun school there.
Nannen’s permanent assignment was at the Marine Corps Air Station in Iwakuni, Japan, and he had twice deployed to Afghanistan during his 10-year career.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
“Capt. Nannen was a fighter pilot through and through,” said Col. Hunter Hobson, commanding officer of Marine Aircraft Group 12. “He embodied all the qualities of the heroic aviators of old and was the leader of the current generation.”
Nannen is survived by his wife, Sarah, and their four children.
Twitter: @LATsandiego
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
