WASHINGTON, March 1 (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy F/A-18C Hornet fighter jet crashed Saturday during a training mission near a Nevada air base, the Navy said.

The status of the pilot was not immediately clear, Navy spokesman Commander Ryan Perry said in a statement.

Perry said an investigation would be conducted to determine the cause of the crash, which occurred on a training range about 70 miles east of Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada.

Navy personnel are headed to the scene, he said.

The F/A-18C Hornet is a single-seat fighter jet built by Boeing Co beginning in 1987. It is powered by two F404-GE-402 enhanced performance turbofan engines built by General Electric Co.