The Spanish Civil Defense Agency said that at around 12:10 p.m. on May 20 (local time), an F-18 fighter jet crashed near an air base located about 16 km from Zaragoza city.
Spain's state news agency EFE said the F-18 was training for an air show when the incident occurred. The aircraft was performing a display for soldiers and their families at the Zaragoza air base.
Spanish F-18 crashes
Local newspaper Heraldo de Aragón cited video footage showing the F-18 flying straight up, then crashing to the ground and exploding violently near a busy highway. A witness with the handle @cajsasl shared on Twitter: "I just saw an F-18 crash at the Zaragoza air base, right next to the highway."
Video footage showing a plume of smoke rising into the sky quickly went viral on social media. Some debris was seen flying outside the base but no injuries were reported.
The crash occurred while the plane was performing a demonstration for soldiers and their families at the Zaragoza air base. Photo: Twitter
An F-18 fighter jet crashed near an air base in Zaragoza, resulting in a large explosion on May 20. Photo: Twitter
El Mundo newspaper reported that the pilot was lucky to escape seconds before the plane crashed within the base's range.
Spain's Civil Defense Agency told the AP that one of its patrols was the first to reach the pilot of the crashed F-18. The pilot managed to escape the cockpit by ejecting his seat before the fighter jet crashed to the ground.
The pilot suffered a leg injury, was found conscious and was not in life-threatening condition.
The pilot was taken to a local hospital for treatment and is recovering from injuries sustained in the crash, according to the Spanish Air Force.
Emergency services work at the site of an F-18 fighter jet crash in Zaragoza, Spain, on May 20. Photo:
According to Spanish officials, the pilot of the crashed F-18 was the commander of the 15th Air Group with more than 1,000 hours of flying experience.
The cause of the incident is being investigated by authorities. According to initial information from the pilot, the plane had a problem.
This is the 12th F-18 crash in Spain in the past 20 years. The last time Spain recorded an accident involving an F-18 was in 2017, when a fighter jet belonging to a unit stationed in Torrejon de Ardoz crashed shortly after takeoff, killing the pilot.
The Spanish Air Force purchased its first 72 F-18s manufactured by McDonnell Douglas in 1983. McDonnell Douglas later merged with Boeing in 1997.
The Spanish Air Force operates the single-seat F/A-18A and two-seat F/A-18B trainer variants. These fighters are assigned to the 15th, 12th and 46th Air Wings of the Spanish Air Force.
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