VMFAT - 101 Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101 ( VMFAT - 101 ) is a United States Marine Corps F / A - 18 Hornet training squadron . The squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar , California and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 11 ( MAG - 11 ) and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing ( 3rd MAW ) . History . Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101 ( VMFAT - 101 ) , was commissioned at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro , California on January 3 , 1969 , as part of Marine Combat Crew Readiness Training Group 10 , 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing . The squadron trained naval aviator s and naval flight officers in the employment of the McDonnell Douglas F - 4 Phantom II . VMFAT - 101 flew its first training sortie February 20 , 1969 , and completed its first class of fighter aircrew by August of that year . During the summer of 1970 , VMFAT - 101 moved to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma , Arizona In 1972 the Sharpshooters earned their first Chief of Naval Operations CNO Aviation Safety Award for Excellence in aviation safety after compiling over 18 , 300 mishap free flight hours . In July 1974 , VMFAT - 101 absorbed the assets of VMFAT - 201 from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point , North Carolina and became the largest fixed wing tactical jet squadron and the sole remaining F - 4 training squadron in the Marine Corps . The Sharpshooters earned the 1976 CNO Aviation Safety Award , as well as the Commanding General Fleet Marine Force s Pacific Aviation Safety Award in 1978 and 1979 while it amassed over 30 , 000 mishap - free flight hours . The Sharpshooters continued to train aircrews in the venerable Phantom II and in 1983 earned the coveted Marine Corps Aviation Association Robert M . Hanson Award as the finest fighter squadron in Marine aviation . May 20 , 1987 , VMFAT - 101 trained its last F - 4 replacement aircrew ; during July the squadron flew its remaining 10 F - 4 aircraft to Davis - Monthan Air Force Base , Ariz . , for permanent storage . During the 18 years VMFAT - 101 flew the Phantom , the Sharpshooters amassed over 125 , 000 flight hours training Marine and Navy aircrews for the fleet . On September 29 , 1987 , VMFAT - 101 returned to MCAS El Toro to prepare for duty as the third F / A - 18 Fleet Replacement Squadron ( FRS ) . March 31 , 1988 , MCCRTG - 10 deactivated and VMFAT - 101 joined Marine Aircraft Group 11 . By October of that year , the Sharpshooters owned 21 F / A - 18s , had trained 25 qualified instructor pilots and were ready to begin training new Hornet pilots . By May 1989 VMFAT - 101 graduated 23 new F / A - 18 pilots and accumulated over 11 , 000 mishap free Hornet flight hours . In December 1989 the squadron entered its sixth year mishap / injury free . On January 10 , 1990 , VMFAT - 101 accepted its first two seat F / A - 18D Hornet and began training aircrew for the transition into the Hornet . In June 1990 the Sharpshooters had graduated over 150 Hornet aircrew , amassed over 28 , 000 F / A - 18 A , B , C and D flight hours On November 30 , 2006 , a Hornet from VMFAT - 101 crashed just east of MCAS Miramar . The pilot ejected safely to the ground three miles east of the airfield . On December 8 , 2008 , an F / A - 18D Hornet from VMFAT - 101 crashed in the University City neighborhood of San Diego , approximately two miles to the west of MCAS Miramar , destroying two houses and killing four people on the ground . The pilot safely ejected and landed with minor injuries . The aircraft suffered a mechanical failure due to negligent maintenance shortly after taking off from the aircraft carrier USS " Abraham Lincoln " en route to MCAS Miramar from a training exercise . The investigation , released on March 3 , 2009 , concluded that a failure to maintain the fuel system led to the crash , as well as questionable decision making on the parts of the pilot and squadron officials on the ground , leading to the relieving of the squadron commander , maintenance officer , and two others . On March 30 , 2011 a VMFAT - 101 F / A - 18C Hornet suffered a catastrophic engine failure , explosion and fire just before launch from the aircraft carrier USS " John C . Stennis " about 100 miles off the coast of San Diego during launch and recovery training operations . The aircraft was at full power , under tension on the catapult when the accident occurred . Eleven flight deck crewman were injured and the pilot was unhurt . There was no major damage to the carrier but the aircraft was a total loss . The investigation is pending and this is the second major mishap related to engine failure and maintenance in 3 years at this command .