Indonesian fighter jet catches fire on runway, pilot jumps to safety

JAKARTA, Indonesia – An Indonesian fighter jet caught fire just before take-off on Thursday, April 16, prompting the pilot to jump to safety as flames and thick smoke engulfed the plane.

F 16 TNI AU crash di ujung landasan Halim pagi ini, info dari Kung @aguspambagyo pic.twitter.com/BY5HZ5v5Mc

— DeeDee (@KartikaDjoemadi) April 16, 2015

Maj. Gen. M. Fuad Basya, the secretary-general of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI), told Rappler said the plane was about to take off at 8:20 a.m. from Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in East Jakarta when its engine caught fire.

But the pilot was able to eject and jump out of the plane, he added. The pilot is now being treated in a hospital for minor injuries.

He added that an investigation into the incident had been launched.

The fighter jet was due to take off alongside three other aircraft, which all took off successfully. Fuad said they were going to make a pass over the TNI headquarters in Cilangkap, Cipayung, East Jakarta, where President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is attending an event. 

The F-16 was one of several aircraft that the United States recently provided to the Indonesian military in the form of a grant, the air force said.

The accident came a month after two air force planes from an Indonesian aerobatics team crashed during a practice session ahead of an air show on Malaysia’s Langkawi island. All four pilots ejected successfully and survived. – with a report from Agence France-Presse/Rappler.com