http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081208/ap_on_re_us/military_jet_crash

SAN DIEGO – An F-18 military jet approaching a Marine base crashed near a busy highway in a densely populated San Diego neighborhood Monday, sparking at least one house fire.

The pilot ejected, but it wasn't immediately clear whether the pilot or anyone on the ground was injured, officials said.

The plane crashed around noon Monday as it prepared to land at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, said Ian Gregor, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman. The crash occurred two miles from the base.

Gregor did not know the pilot's condition or how many people were in the plane before it crashed near Interstate 805.

A high school sits near the crash site. Television news footage showed what appeared to be the remnants of a smoldering house and two cars on fire.

Resident Ed Costa said he had just returned from a grocery run he heard a boom and ran outside.

"When I first heard the noise, I thought it was a gunshot," said Costa, 54, who lives about two blocks from the crash site.

"I could see black smoke going up," Costa told The Associated Press. "Then we heard a secondary blast. Flames were shooting as high as the light pole."

Costa's 22-year-old son Dean felt the house vibrate, then made his way close to the crash site and saw two houses on fire and several cars explode.

"It was just crazy," he said. "There was debris everywhere."

Maurice Luque, a spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, said he didn't know whether anyone on the ground was injured.

A Miramar spokeswoman said base workers were sent to the crash site.

"We are still trying to confirm the aircraft even belongs to us," said Marine Staff Sgt. Bobbie Bryant.

The F-18 is a supersonic jet used widely in the Marine Corps and Navy.

Miramar, well known for its role in the movie "Top Gun," is home to some 10,000 Marines. It was operated by the Navy until 1996.

___

Associated Press writers Michael R. Blood and Alicia Chang in Los Angeles contributed to this report.