An F-18 fighter jet crashed on Saturday at Zaragoza Air Base. The incident happened when the airbase was conducting a Family Day exhibition in the region, about 300 km from the country’s capital, Madrid. Several reports online suggest that the US-made fighter aircraft belong to the Spanish Air Force. The pilot managed to eject before impact. At present, there is no news of any casualty in this incident. The incident was caught on camera and shared on social media platforms. Now this video is going viral. The video shows the F-18 Hornet fighter jet rapidly losing altitude and making a nose-first dive towards the ground.
Upon impact, there is a huge explosion with flames and black smoke billowing from the ground. The incident took place when the fighter aircraft was participating in an air show organized on Family Day. The aircraft was performing aerobatics in the air at the time of the incident. Every year the occasion is celebrated at Zaragoza Air Base. The incident was also confirmed by the Spanish Air Force, which clarified that the pilot ejected successfully.
An F-18 fighter jet crashed at Zaragoza airbase in Spain. The pilot ejected from the jet. #Spain #F18 #crash #Zaragoza pic.twitter.com/gkpt3IZyeT— Nero (@OSINTNic) May 20, 2023
The incident, which involved a McDonnell Douglas EF-18M Hornet fighter jet, occurred on Saturday morning, according to Spanish news source Defense Aviacion.Info. The aircraft, which belonged to the 15th Wing of the Spanish Air Force, crashed and caught fire.
The pilot of the F18 has crashed in a hospital and is not safe. https://t.co/F9Vwbq9Xw9
– Ejercito del Aire y del Espacio (@EjercitoAire) May 20, 2023
Giving information about the incident, the Spanish Ministry of Defense wrote on Twitter, “This morning there was an accident involving an F18 from Ella 15 at Zaragoza Air Base. We will continue to inform you. “The pilot of the crashed F18 is already in the hospital, and there is no threat to his life,” the ministry said.
The F/A-18 McDonnell Douglas, built by Boeing, was the first jet fighter to use computerized fly-by-wire flight controls and the first to feature carbon fiber wings. A two-seater, an advanced fighter, a reconnaissance aircraft and a night-attack fighter are among the variations.