CF-18 Crashes at Lethbridge Airport, AB - 07-24-2010

Winnipeg Free Press Pilot escapes fiery CF-18 crash Fighter explodes in huge fireball as it hits ground LETHBRIDGE, Alta. -- A training run for a weekend air show in southern Alberta went horribly awry Friday when a CF-18 Hornet jet crashed and exploded in a ball of flame. Capt. Brian Bews from 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron based at 3 Wing in Bagotville, Que., was able to eject from the plumeting aircraft moments before it hit the runway at the Lethbridge County Airport. "All of a sudden you could hear 'pop, pop, pop,'" witness Roland Booth told CTV News. "I saw sparks come out of the one engine. The plane started banking over to the side. That's when the pilot bailed out with his parachute." "The pilot did eject safely but was dragged several hundred feet unconscious along the ground," said aviation buff Darren Jansens, who saw the whole sequence. "He was just starting what they call the high alpha pass. It's a high-angle pass, very low-speed, fairly close to the ground. It's the lowest-speed manoeuvre the Hornet generally performs." The Lethbridge Herald quoted witnesses as saying that after ejecting, the pilot narrowly missed being hit by the plane as it plunged to the ground. Bews sustained a sore back and scraped-up arms and was treated at hospital and released Friday.

View Count: 305 Date: July 24, 2010