US Navy Jet Crashes Into Block Of Flats

**bb1** Fri Apr 06, 2012 7:42 pm

Miraculously, no-one appears to have been injured...

http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16204121

A US Navy jet has crashed into a block of flats in Virginia but the two pilots on board are believed to have ejected before impact.

The low-rise building in the Virginia Beach area was set alight and black smoke could be seen billowing from its roof.
It is believed F-18 Delta fighter jet got into difficulties shortly after take-off.
The pilots are being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, including smoke inhalation, at a local hospital.
Virginia fire department said there are no reports of any injuries on the ground and no-one is missing.

There was a large fire in the roof of the building

Eyewitness Pat Kavanagh was in his flat in the complex when he heard a loud boom. He told the TV station WTKR that when he went outside he saw a pilot on the ground and a parachute hanging from the building.
He said the pilot, who he believes was still strapped to his seat, had cuts on his face but was able to speak and even apologised for hitting the building.

Another witness, Jon Swain, told MSNBC: "There were flames coming out of its engine at the back, which I just thought was afterburn or whatever... but the plane got lower and lower. I saw one pilot eject.
"I understand there were two, but I only saw one. And then you know, probably five seconds later, I was at the building where it hit. It burst into flames," he said.
He said he saw people running from the building after the impact.
The aircraft and pilots from Strike Fighter Squadron 106 were based at Naval Air Station Oceana.
Oceana, which is a vast complex with more than seven miles (10km) of runways, is manned by some 14,600 military personnel and is home to 19 fighter squadrons.
The eastern coastal resort city of Virginia Beach has a large concentration of military bases, including Naval Station Norfolk, the world's largest naval base.

**bb1** Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:08 pm

Not such good news today - three people are unaccounted for:

Three people are still unaccounted for after an American military fighter jet crashed into a block of flats in Virginia and exploded into flames.

The US Navy F-18 plane suffered what the Pentagon is describing as a "catastrophic mechanical malfunction" during a training flight before smashing into an apartment complex in the Virginia Beach area.
As many as five low-rise buildings were on fire and flames and thick, black smoke were sent billowing into the sky.

No deaths have yet been reported, but three residents of the Mayfair Mews complex for the elderly remain unaccounted for.
Tim Riley, Virginia Beach Fire and Rescue Battalion chief, said: "We have physically been in every structure, and we have 95% completed the search and rescue.
"We don't know if we have working cell numbers [for the people unaccounted for], if they've travelled.

"We don't know if people are staying with other people."
Rescue crews searched for any injured residents in five buildings, several of which have collapsed, Mr Riley added.

More at:

http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16204292

US Navy Jet Crashes Into Block Of Flats

US Navy Jet Crashes Into Block Of Flats

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