A Navy investigation has concluded that human error led to a military jet crashing into the San Diego Bay last year near Naval Air Station North Island, according to a report. The findings, first reported by The San Diego Union-Tribune through a Freedom of Information Act request, detail what wen t wrong before the E/A-18G Growler nose-dived into the water on the morning of Feb. 12. The two crew members, based in Washington, were flying the Growler as part of a training exercise at Naval Air Station North Island. According to the Navy’s investigation reported by the UT, the aircraft was a backup jet the crew was not fully familiar with, including some of its software systems. After completing aerial refueling, the crew received an alert and decided to return to base in Coronado. The investigation report obtained by the UT also noted they were not anticipating the severity of the weather conditions that day, including rain and fog, with winds creating a tailwind during landing attempts. The report said the pilot struggled to slow the jet enough to land on the wet runway, the UT reported. During a second attempt, the pilot said the brakes felt “mushy” and that the jet was not going to stop. The tower controller also warned there was “not enough runway” remaining, raising further concern. The two crew members ejected into the bay more than one minute before the jet followed them into the water. Witnesses who were on a fishing boat nearby described the dramatic moments. “It seemed like you were watching a Star Wars movie,” one of the boat passengers said. “Two orange parachutes ejected and that’s when im like ok something’s happening,” another passenger said. The boat’s crew, based out of HM Landing, immediately picked up the radio to alert others to what happened, “hey rodger we got two aircraft men ejected and we’re on the way to help assist.” The two crew members were pulled from the water and onto the boat.  “It immediately, like everybody else, raises questions, ‘ok, how did this happen,” retired Navy Capt. Greg Keithley said. Keithley, a San Diego County native, spent 33 years in the Navy, most of it as a pilot. While he did not fly Growlers, he flew the F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and had been called in to assist with investigations like this one while he was active-duty. Keithley said the process is exhaustive, not only to determine what or who is to blame, but to prevent similar incidents in the future. “I guarantee you this incident has been talked about in ready rooms, ‘hey, if you’re in this situation again, what would you do to ensure this doesn’t happen again,” Keithley said. No one was seriously hurt.  NBC 7 also filed a FOIA request to get a copy of the report and is waiting for it to be fulfilled. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication. ...read more read less