F-16 on fire - Indonesia

Indonesian fighter pilot escapes as F-16 jet bursts into flames before take-off

Indonesian Air Force members evacuate an F-16 fighter jet after an accident at Halim Perdana Kusumah Military airport in Jakarta. Photo: EPA

An Indonesian fighter jet caught fire just before taking off with other aircraft, forcing the pilot to abort the mission and jump to safety as flames and thick smoke engulfed the aircraft.

The plane had been due to take off from a Jakarta airbase with three other jets, which took off successfully, in preparation for security support at the summit of Asian and African leaders in Indonesia next week.

But the jet suddenly caught fire and could not make the flight. The cause was under investigation.

"As the aircraft was about to take off, there was a fire in the engine, and the pilot straight away decided to abort the flight," air force chief of staff Agus Supriatna said on news channel MetroTV today.

The pilot escaped with minor injuries and is now being treated in hospital.

"The pilot was rushed to hospital but he is conscious," Supriatna added.

Military spokesman Fuad Basya said the airman suffered a minor injury as he jumped from the cockpit.

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.