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Just thought I'd share...
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (RNN) - An F/A-18D Hornet Navy fighter jet crashed into an apartment complex near Virginia Beach, VA, sending fuel and debris flying and erupting into flames.
Both crew members - who ejected at the very last moment to avoid a nearby school - and five civilians on the ground are being treated at local hospitals.
The plane crashed shortly after takeoff.
An eyewitness to the plane crash, George Pilkington, said that within two or 300 yards of where the plane crashed, the aircraft emptied its jet fuel, with its nose up, and crashed into a building at the Mayfair Mews Apartments.
At least five buildings have been heavily damaged. AP is reporting the fire has been put out, and crews are going through the buildings to check for anyone who may have been injured.
"One building was completely leveled, and debris was just flying into the other buildings," he said.
Pilkington said there were a couple of large explosions after the crash, and people fled the scene.
"Right when I saw it, I knew something was wrong," he said. The airplane was making a sound, he said, as if the engine was malfunctioning.
The area where the plane crashed is one-half mile from Virginia Beach oceanfront, with many homes and resort complexes.
A local hospital, Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital, is treating at least one crew member, according to WAVY.com. One of them was found on the ground, still strapped to his seat, in shock, according to a witness.
"He apologized for hitting our building," said Pat Kavanaugh.
Another witness to the aftermath, Zack Zapatero, says people on the ground near the apartments were screaming and crying, with visible cuts and injuries.
He said many residents are elderly.
The crash site is just north of Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia, where the crew is based. According to Military Times: "The aircraft was from Strike Fighter Squadron 106, a Hornet flight replacement squadron. A FRS trains aviators to fly a specific airframe."
The jet is the same type of plane flown by the flight exposition team the Blue Angels, which are based in Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida.
Exactly one year ago today, on April 6, 2011, a two-seater F/A-18F crashed at Naval Air Station Lanore in Central California.
Source: http://www.cbsatlanta.com/story/17351737/fa-18-hornet-crashes-near-virginia-beach
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (RNN) - An F/A-18D Hornet Navy fighter jet crashed into an apartment complex near Virginia Beach, VA, sending fuel and debris flying and erupting into flames.
Both crew members - who ejected at the very last moment to avoid a nearby school - and five civilians on the ground are being treated at local hospitals.
The plane crashed shortly after takeoff.
An eyewitness to the plane crash, George Pilkington, said that within two or 300 yards of where the plane crashed, the aircraft emptied its jet fuel, with its nose up, and crashed into a building at the Mayfair Mews Apartments.
At least five buildings have been heavily damaged. AP is reporting the fire has been put out, and crews are going through the buildings to check for anyone who may have been injured.
"One building was completely leveled, and debris was just flying into the other buildings," he said.
Pilkington said there were a couple of large explosions after the crash, and people fled the scene.
"Right when I saw it, I knew something was wrong," he said. The airplane was making a sound, he said, as if the engine was malfunctioning.
The area where the plane crashed is one-half mile from Virginia Beach oceanfront, with many homes and resort complexes.
A local hospital, Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital, is treating at least one crew member, according to WAVY.com. One of them was found on the ground, still strapped to his seat, in shock, according to a witness.
"He apologized for hitting our building," said Pat Kavanaugh.
Another witness to the aftermath, Zack Zapatero, says people on the ground near the apartments were screaming and crying, with visible cuts and injuries.
He said many residents are elderly.
The crash site is just north of Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia, where the crew is based. According to Military Times: "The aircraft was from Strike Fighter Squadron 106, a Hornet flight replacement squadron. A FRS trains aviators to fly a specific airframe."
The jet is the same type of plane flown by the flight exposition team the Blue Angels, which are based in Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida.
Exactly one year ago today, on April 6, 2011, a two-seater F/A-18F crashed at Naval Air Station Lanore in Central California.
Source: http://www.cbsatlanta.com/story/17351737/fa-18-hornet-crashes-near-virginia-beach