The pilot of a Belgian F-16 (tail number FA-130) had to use his ejection seat while preparing for the morning flights at the airbase in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands. His F-16 then collided with a building.
A Belgian pilot had to use his ejection seat at Leeuwarden Air Base in the north of the Netherlands today when starting his F-16 in the aircraft parking.
The pilot sustained leg injuries and was taken to the hospital for treatment. A technical member of the Belgian detachment who was present at the incident was also taken to the hospital as a precaution. The families were immediately informed. The aircraft ended up in an empty container park with only material damage as a result.
Emergency services have come en masse to the crash. The fire brigade kept the aircraft wet to avoid any fire. A parachute and smoke could be seen in some pictures, but there has been no explosion.
A team from the ASIB (Aviation Safety Investigation Board) of Belgian Defence will go to Leeuwarden to conduct the flight safety investigation.
The pilot is currently following the Weapons Instructor Course (WIC) in Leeuwarden. This is an international training with participants from Belgium, the Netherlands and Norway. The course lasts six months and runs from 3 May to 22 October. The Belgian Air Force is on-site with five aircraft, four students, four instructors and support staff.
Incident tijdens het opstarten met een Belgische F-16 op de vliegbasis Leeuwarden (Nederland). De piloot moest zijn schietstoel gebruiken. Weldra meer informatie. https://t.co/Q0mKYjETPA
— Belgian Air Force?? (@BeAirForce) July 1, 2021
Incident tijdens het opstarten met een Belgische F-16 op de vliegbasis Leeuwarden (Nederland). De piloot moest zijn schietstoel gebruiken. Weldra meer informatie. https://t.co/Q0mKYjETPA
— Belgian Air Force?? (@BeAirForce) July 1, 2021
Incident lors du démarrage d'un F-16 belge sur la base aérienne de Leeuwarden (Pays-Bas). Le pilote a dû s’éjecter. Plus d’informations bientôt. https://t.co/UVnjybBPK0
— Belgian Air Force?? (@BeAirForce) July 1, 2021
UPDATE INCIDENT: bij het opstarten vanmorgen is een F-16 een tegenoverstaand gebouw ingereden. Daarbij zijn twee mensen gewond geraakt. De vlieger heeft zichzelf in veiligheid kunnen brengen. Er is geen brand en ook geen explosie geweest.
— Koninklijke Luchtmacht (@Kon_Luchtmacht) July 1, 2021
be good if the tweets were translated so that we could all read them
There was no fire according to the news I have read in Dutch and also the tweets that are visible on this website. The fire brigade of the airbase just kept the plane wet just to be sure.
You might want to use Google Translate?