Emergency incident as plane takes off at Amberley military base
Two pilots have been forced to eject from their aircraft following an emergency incident during takeoff at the RAAF base at Amberley on Tuesday afternoon. SEE VIDEO
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TWO pilots have been forced to eject from their fighter jet and parachute to safety during an emergency incident at Amberley RAAF that significantly damaged the multimillion-dollar aircraft yesterday afternoon.
The pair were taking off in an FA-18F Super Hornet fighter as a part of a training exercise when the incident occurred around 2.30pm.
It’s understood there was a problem with the jet’s nose wheel, which triggered an automatic ejection system.
The Department of Defence confirmed an incident had occurred, but would not comment on the specifics.
“Defence can confirm that an incident involving an Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornet has occurred during takeoff at RAAF base Amberley,” a Defence spokesperson said in a statement.
“Defence’s first priority is the safety of personnel at RAAF base Amberley. Defence will provide more information once the immediate actions associated with the incident are completed.
“The aircrew ejected and are safe.
“No other personnel were involved in the incident.
“The cause of the incident is not known at this time and will be subject to investigation,” it said.
Footage shows the aircraft was still on the ground when the crew were ejected from the jet and hit the ground heavily.
The jet continued along the runway, with scorch marks surrounding the cockpit, until it came to a stop after rolling onto a patch of grass.
Despite the aircraft coming to a stop virtually intact, the damage caused by the ejector seats’ rockets could run into millions of dollars and force the ageing aircraft to be written off.
It’s believed the plane was the third in a line of seven in a training exercise and about 200m into takeoff when the incident occurred.
Super Hornets have been the No 1 strike jet for the RAAF for the past 10 years following the retirement of the F111 bomber.
The government purchased 24 Super Hornets in 2007 for $2.9bn as an interim replacement for the ageing fleet of F-111s.
The first Super Hornet was delivered in 2010 with the remaining jets in place before the end of 2011.
Super Hornets were deployed as the RAAF’s strike element on Operation Okra against the ISIS terrorist network in Syria and Iraq between 2014 and 2018.
F/A-18F Super Hornets were used for air interception, air combat, close air support of troops and interception of enemy supply lines.
It’s believed neither pilot has a serious injury but they were undergoing thorough medical assessments.
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