Pilots safely eject from Royal Malaysian Air Force jet following takeoff incident
Two pilots were forced to eject from a Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) F/A-18D Hornet on Thursday night (21 Aug) after a dramatic incident during takeoff.
Footage of the event quickly went viral, showing the fighter jet sparking as it ascended the runway.
The RMAF confirmed the incident in a statement shortly after.
Video shows bright sparks emerging from jet
In the video, the F/A-18D Hornet is seen accelerating down the runway.
As it attempted to lift off, a bright spark emerged from the jet, followed by a trail of sparks as it continued its ascent.
Source: Army Military Force on Facebook
Moments later, the jet appeared to explode before turning into a fireball, plummeting to the ground.
Source: Army Military Force on Facebook
The RMAF said the incident occurred at 9.05pm at Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Airport, located in Kuantan, Pahang.
Source: Army Military Force on Facebook
The airport shares facilities with the nearby airbase.
Malaysian PM calls for thorough investigation
Fortunately, both the pilot and the weapons system officer managed to eject safely from the aircraft.
They were immediately taken to Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital for a medical check-up, where their safety was confirmed by a local police chief.
In an X post on Friday (22 Aug), Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim expressed his sympathy towards the pilot and weapons system officer.
He extended his well wishes for the swift recovery of the injured personnel and hoped for the smooth facilitation of their treatment and rehabilitation.
The Prime Minister also called on authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the incident and to ensure that appropriate safety measures are put in place.
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Featured image adapted from Army Military Force on Facebook.
