F-18 fighter crashes into Spanish airbase
May 21, 2023
Madrid [Spain], May 21: A US-made F-18 fighter jet crashed and exploded during rehearsals before a performance event at Zaragoza Air Base on May 20, according to a statement from the Spanish Air Force.
Video clip of the plane crash shows the F-18 jet rising at a fast and steep speed, before stopping and turning upside down to fall to the ground. A huge fireball rose in the direction of the crash, confirmed by the Spanish Air Force to be within range of the base.
The pilot with more than 1,000 hours of flight time escaped from the cockpit by emergency mechanism and parachuted to the ground. However, this person injured his arms, legs and hips during the landing process.
The Spanish Air Force confirmed that the pilot was taken to hospital and that his life was not in danger.
The crash site is also close to a highway with heavy traffic. According to the Spanish Air Force, some of the plane's debris was thrown out of the range of the base. The fighter was completely crushed after falling to the ground.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation. The crash of the F-18 at the Spanish base is the latest incident involving the country's F-18 fleet.
In 2017, an F-18 crashed while taking off from an airbase near Madrid, killing the pilot. Before that, three F-18 crashes occurred in the country in 2009, and one more in 2003.
The Spanish Air Force currently has 84 F-18s, and the European country intends to replace this fleet with the F-35 fighter line .
Source: ThanhNien Newspaper
