WATCH | F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet nosedives, bursts into flames in Spain

Madrid, Spain

About 300 km from Spain's capital Madrid, a F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet crashed and burst into flames at the Zaragoza air station. The US-made F-18 Hornet fighter jet can be seen quickly losing altitude and nose-diving into the ground, in a video that has gone viral on Twitter, before exploding at the edge of the air base.

According to a tweet from Spain's defence ministry, the fighter jet's pilot was transferred to a hospital and is out of danger. The Spanish Air and Space Force is the owner of the Zaragoza air base, which is located around 16 kilometres outside of the city, according to the Associated Press.

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Spain's state news agency EFE said the fighter aircraft was practising for a flying show when the tragedy occurred. The McDonnell Douglas F-18 Hornet that went down belonged to Ala 15, a functioning unit under the Air Combat Command (ARCOM) of the Spanish Air Force.

A few hours after the incident, the air force said that the pilot was "recovering favourably" but would need to stay in the hospital for "a few days" under supervision. The pilot landed beyond the perimeter fence of the airbase, and one of the Guardia Civil guards was the first to reach him, according to The Associated Press. The pilot reportedly hurt his legs after ejecting with a parachute from a low altitude, according to the Guardia Civil. 

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The Guardia Civil declared that it will assist the military in the accident investigation. It stated that the pilot's initial report indicated that the aircraft had evidently had a malfunction. 

F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets 

Spain has been operating the F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet for several decades. The Spanish Air Force utilised the F/A-18 Hornet as one of its primary fighter aircraft and initially acquired the F/A-18 variants of the Hornet in the 1980s. These jets were used for various missions, including air defence, ground attack, and reconnaissance. In subsequent years, Spain upgraded its fleet with the newer F/A-18 variants.

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The F-18 Hornet was put into service in Spain, in 1986. The F/A-18 McDonnell Douglas, made by Boeing, was the first jet fighter to employ computerised fly-by-wire flying controls and the first to feature carbon fibre wings. A two-seater, an upgraded fighter, a reconnaissance plane, and a night-attack fighter were among the variations. The F/A-18 Hornet has been involved in various training exercises, both domestically and internationally, with Spain regularly participating in NATO exercises.