On Camera, Fireball After F-18 Jet Rapidly Nose Dives, Crashes In Spain

An F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft was up in flames after crashing at the Zaragoza air base in Spain, approximately 300 Km from the country's capital Madrid.

In a video which is now viral on Twitter, the US-made F-18 Hornet fighter jet rapidly loses altitude and is seen nose-diving towards the ground before exploding at the perimeter of the air base.

In Spain, an F-18 fighter crashed at the Zaragoza airbase. The pilot ejected from the jet. #Spain #F18 #crash #ZARAGOZA pic.twitter.com/gkpt3IZyeT

— Nero (@OSINTNic) May 20, 2023

The pilot ejected from the fighter jet was taken to a hospital, and his life is not in danger, Spain's defence ministry said in a tweet.

El piloto del F18 accidentado se encuentra ya en el hospital y su vida no corre peligro. https://t.co/F9Vwbq9Xw9

— Ejército del Aire y del Espacio (@EjercitoAire) May 20, 2023

The Zaragoza air base, which lies about 16 kilometres outside the city, belongs to the Spanish Air and Space Force, Associated Press reported.

The fighter aircraft was training for a flying exhibition when the incident took place, Spain's public news agency EFE reported.

The McDonnell Douglas F-18 Hornet that crashed, belongs to Ala 15, an operational unit in the Spanish Air Force's Air Combat Command (ARCOM). The F-18 Hornet entered into service in Spain in 1986.

Manufactured by Boeing, the F/A-18 McDonnell Douglas was the first aircraft to have carbon fibre wings and the first tactical jet fighter to use digital fly-by-wire flight controls. Variants included a two-seater, an improved fighter, a reconnaissance aircraft and a night-attack fighter.