By Mike Hixenbaugh The Virginian-Pilot January 15, 2015

Several thousand feet abovethe Atlantic Ocean, a year ago today: Two Navy fighter jets banked toward each other at more than 400 mph.

The roaring F/A-18 Super Hornets converged, crossing within 1,000 feet before zooming back into formation and preparing to do it again.

The aerial sparring - intended to simulate a high-stakes combat engagement with an enemy fighter - is typical off the coast of Virginia Beach, where pilots from Oceana Naval Air Station regularly practice basic flight maneuvers.

But on this day, Jan. 15, 2014, something was about to go terribly wrong. The investigation that followed revealed shortcomings in pilot training, and it serves as a cautionary tale for novice fighter pilots still learning how to keep their bearings while twisting and turning through the sky at the speed of sound.

After their third round that morning, the two pilots from Strike Fighter Squadron 143 leveled off and prepared for one more drill.

In one of the jets, a young pilot was flying his first training mission since becoming qualified to use a special helmet that projects key flight data - such as air speed, altitude, target range - onto his visor.

The pilot, investigators learned later, hadn't gone through a recommended computer-based course before being cleared to fly with the visor-mounted display. In fact, the investigator discovered, out of 17 squadrons based at Oceana, none reported requiring pilots to complete the course; only one squadron was even aware it existed.

Out the left side of his cockpit, the pilot could see the other jet flying on a parallel course about 2 miles away. That pilot, a more experienced aviator, called out a signal, and the two jets again turned in toward each other.

The younger pilot pushed the throttle to maximum power and angled his jet down as he entered a left-hand turn at 12,000 feet above sea level. He began the turn at more than 400 mph, well above the recommended speed for an extreme nose-down maneuver.

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Navy report: 2014 Super Hornet crash was preventable