A Finnish F/A-18 Hornet fighter crashed near Rovaniemi Airport in northern Finland's Arctic Circle on Wednesday, but the pilot was rescued after it was discharged, the military said.
The crash happened around 11am (0800 GMT) “in the Rovaniemi Airport area,” the military said in a statement.
“The aircraft crashed during airshow rehearsals,” Finnish Air Force commander Timo Helanen told AFP.
“The pilot was lucky enough to be able to eject it from the aircraft,” Helanen said, with only “mild injuries.”
Helanen did not want to comment on the possible reasons for the accident “at this stage,” but said an investigation is ongoing.
According to the military, “there was no injuries to the ground.”
Dark smoke could be seen rising from the scene, and several emergency vehicles were sent to the area.
Witness Mika Retiniemi saw an empty fighter just before the crash as she drove along a nearby bridge.
He told Finnish broadcaster Yle that it flew abnormally low over a residential area in Sivasenbara before it stalled, and its nose was facing upwards.
“The plane stood up very hard and carried its back, then a few seconds passed and I saw a cloud of black smoke. I didn't see the fire.
Airport operator Finavia told AFP it did not expect private flights to be affected by the accident for the time being.
A meeting of the Nordic Ministers of Defense was held in Rovaniemi on Wednesday. The minister was watching the movement at the time, but was in a safe area far from where the accident occurred.
“We didn't see the accident, but we were informed immediately,” Finland's Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen said in a post to X.
The Finnish Air Force fleet of the F/A-18 Hornet was delivered by Boeing between 1995 and 2000 and was scheduled to be decommissioned by 2030, and replaced by rival aerospace giant Lockheed Martin F-35.
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