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F-18 crashes, burns at Lethbridge airport
CALGARY — A Canadian Air Force CF-18 fighter jet crashed at the Lethbridge Regional Airport Friday, as the facility was getting ready for the Alberta International Airshow.
Lethbridge RCMP said the pilot was taken to Chinook Regional Hospital with undetermined injuries after the crash occured around 12:20 p.m.
Witnesses say he pulled his parachute and ejected before the plane crashed. The pilot was practising for the air show, rehearsing low-level manoeuvres when the crash occurred.
RCMP and the local fire department have cordoned off the area. The runway at the airport is closed and air traffic is being diverted following the crash.
The CF-18 Hornet in the crash was to take part in this weekend's two-day air show in Lethbridge, beginning Saturday. The twin-engine fighter jets are frequently involved in aerobatic demonstrations, and most recently provided aerial security over Vancouver during the Winter Games.
A military spokeswoman said the cause of the crash is under investigation. It's not immediately known whether the plane ran into trouble during mid-air manoeuvres, or on take-off or landing.
"I can confirm a CF-18 Hornet has crashed during practice for the Lethbridge air show," said Capt. Nicole Meszaros, a spokeswoman for 4 Wing, based at CFB Cold Lake, Alberta.
"The pilot, we are very thankful to say, is OK. We believe at this point that his injuries are not life-threatening."
Kurtis Koop spent the morning watching the fighter jet as he worked outside framing a house with buddies.
"I was watching the thing all morning. We were all in awe," said Koop.
But then, he watched as the tail end of the plane swung low, and the aircraft dipped behind a hill.
"Then I saw the smoke come up. It was a straight stack of black smoke, thick. I said, no he couldn't have crashed."
"He looked like he was in complete control the whole time. The next thing I know, it's up in flames. I can't believe I saw it."
Ryan Giffin said he could tell the plane was in distress as he watched it from his office desk near the airport.
"Oh my god, it's crashing. Everybody looked and it was already hitting the ground. There was a massive fireball," said Griffin.
"You could tell something was going wrong. It was going way too slow. There was a sputtering sound and two puffs of smoke from the engines.'
"It started to nose dive, banked to the right, and the pilot ejected."
He said the pilot fell hard.
Private pilot Nathaniel Lockheart was watching the practice runs just off of runaway 23 when he noticed something was wrong.
"He came in right over us, probably only 100 to 200 feet high. It looked like he lost power out of his right engine. Only one afterburner was on and it was burning red hot."
"He looked very close to stalling. I knew what was going to happen: he wasn't going to make it out of this one."
After the pilot punched out, it appeared he was dangerously close the massive fireball. The chute didn't appear to open fully and Lockheart ran to help.
"It looked like he was in the fire. We jumped the barbed wire fence to see if we could help."
Thankfully, he watched as the pilot stood up and gathered his crumpled parachute.
"That's one of my favourite airplanes and to actually see one crash is just unreal."
The pilot, Capt. Brian Bews, has been with the 425 tactical fighter squadron based in Bagotville, Quebec, since 2008. He is the 2010 CF18 Hornet demo squad pilot.
A Canadian Forces official wouldn't comment on the pilot's condition, but said "he is being tended to."
Bews ejected which "is stressful and he is going to have to be assessed," said Capt. Holly Brown.
A flight safety investigation has been launched, and there is no timeline for it. Officials say "they take as long as they take; there's no time limit."
Bews began his flying career in Okotoks, earning his private pilot licence. After graduating from Mount Royal College in 1999 with a Diploma in Aviation he enrolled in the Canadian Forces.
He has posted more than 1400 hours with the Canadian Forces in that time, 1200 of those in the CF-18.
Robb Engen, president of air show association, said the air show will proceed as scheduled Saturday and Sunday.
Engen said the decision was made after organizers met with Department of National Defence officials.
A news conference is planned for 6 p.m. MT.
Postmedia Network and Global Television contributed to this report
CF-18 crashes, burns at Lethbridge airport
---------- Post added at 12:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:11 PM ----------
CALGARY — A Canadian Air Force CF-18 fighter jet crashed at the Lethbridge Regional Airport Friday, as the facility was getting ready for the Alberta International Airshow.
Lethbridge RCMP said the pilot was taken to Chinook Regional Hospital with undetermined injuries after the crash occured around 12:20 p.m.
Witnesses say he pulled his parachute and ejected before the plane crashed. The pilot was practising for the air show, rehearsing low-level manoeuvres when the crash occurred.
RCMP and the local fire department have cordoned off the area. The runway at the airport is closed and air traffic is being diverted following the crash.
The CF-18 Hornet in the crash was to take part in this weekend's two-day air show in Lethbridge, beginning Saturday. The twin-engine fighter jets are frequently involved in aerobatic demonstrations, and most recently provided aerial security over Vancouver during the Winter Games.
A military spokeswoman said the cause of the crash is under investigation. It's not immediately known whether the plane ran into trouble during mid-air manoeuvres, or on take-off or landing.
"I can confirm a CF-18 Hornet has crashed during practice for the Lethbridge air show," said Capt. Nicole Meszaros, a spokeswoman for 4 Wing, based at CFB Cold Lake, Alberta.
"The pilot, we are very thankful to say, is OK. We believe at this point that his injuries are not life-threatening."
Kurtis Koop spent the morning watching the fighter jet as he worked outside framing a house with buddies.
"I was watching the thing all morning. We were all in awe," said Koop.
But then, he watched as the tail end of the plane swung low, and the aircraft dipped behind a hill.
"Then I saw the smoke come up. It was a straight stack of black smoke, thick. I said, no he couldn't have crashed."
"He looked like he was in complete control the whole time. The next thing I know, it's up in flames. I can't believe I saw it."
Ryan Giffin said he could tell the plane was in distress as he watched it from his office desk near the airport.
"Oh my god, it's crashing. Everybody looked and it was already hitting the ground. There was a massive fireball," said Griffin.
"You could tell something was going wrong. It was going way too slow. There was a sputtering sound and two puffs of smoke from the engines.'
"It started to nose dive, banked to the right, and the pilot ejected."
He said the pilot fell hard.
Private pilot Nathaniel Lockheart was watching the practice runs just off of runaway 23 when he noticed something was wrong.
"He came in right over us, probably only 100 to 200 feet high. It looked like he lost power out of his right engine. Only one afterburner was on and it was burning red hot."
"He looked very close to stalling. I knew what was going to happen: he wasn't going to make it out of this one."
After the pilot punched out, it appeared he was dangerously close the massive fireball. The chute didn't appear to open fully and Lockheart ran to help.
"It looked like he was in the fire. We jumped the barbed wire fence to see if we could help."
Thankfully, he watched as the pilot stood up and gathered his crumpled parachute.
"That's one of my favourite airplanes and to actually see one crash is just unreal."
The pilot, Capt. Brian Bews, has been with the 425 tactical fighter squadron based in Bagotville, Quebec, since 2008. He is the 2010 CF18 Hornet demo squad pilot.
A Canadian Forces official wouldn't comment on the pilot's condition, but said "he is being tended to."
Bews ejected which "is stressful and he is going to have to be assessed," said Capt. Holly Brown.
A flight safety investigation has been launched, and there is no timeline for it. Officials say "they take as long as they take; there's no time limit."
Bews began his flying career in Okotoks, earning his private pilot licence. After graduating from Mount Royal College in 1999 with a Diploma in Aviation he enrolled in the Canadian Forces.
He has posted more than 1400 hours with the Canadian Forces in that time, 1200 of those in the CF-18.
Robb Engen, president of air show association, said the air show will proceed as scheduled Saturday and Sunday.
Engen said the decision was made after organizers met with Department of National Defence officials.
A news conference is planned for 6 p.m. MT.
Postmedia Network and Global Television contributed to this report
CF-18 crashes, burns at Lethbridge airport
---------- Post added at 12:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:11 PM ----------
