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Pilot ejects from jet seconds from disaster at Alberta airshow

From: NewsCore
July 25, 2010 4:21AM

A PILOT managed to eject from his jet moments before it crashed in a ball of flames at an airshow. Captain Brian Bews was piloting the Canadian Air Force CF-18 fighter when the crash occurred at the Alberta International Airshow.

Witnesses told the Calgary Herald that Bews managed to pull his parachute and eject from the plane only moments before it erupted into flames on impact with the ground.

His quick reactions and ejector seat saved his life as he was catapulted out of the stricken $52 million aircraft. He had been practicing for the air show, rehearsing low-level maneuvers. He was about 30 metres from the ground when he ejected and came to rest near the exploding jet.

The experienced pilot was taken to Chinook Regional Hospital with minor injuries after landing hard and getting dragged across the runway by his parachute.

Witness Ryan Giffiin said he could tell the plane was in distress as he watched it from his office desk near the airport. He said: "Oh my god, it's crashing. Everybody looked and it was already hitting the ground. There was a massive fireball." "You could tell something was going wrong. It was going way too slow.

There was a sputtering sound and two puffs of smoke from the engines. "It started to nose dive, banked to the right, and the pilot ejected." The CF-18 Hornet was to take part in the two-day air show at Alberta's Lethbridge Airport beginning yesterday.

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Royal Canadian Air Force Captain Brian Bewes ejects to safety. Source: The Sunday Telegraph

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The plane descends fast as the pilot makes his quick escape from the $52m jet Source: The Daily Telegraph

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The jet turns into an inferno as it crashes into the runway Source: The Daily Telegraph

[Irrampbroow]

Pilot Capt. Brian Bews parachutes to safety as his a CF-18 fighter jet plummets to the ground during a practice flight at the Lethbridge County Airport on Friday, July 23, 2010 for the weekend airshow in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. MANDATORY CREDIT: THE CANADIAN PRESS, LETHBRIDGE HERALD, IAN MARTENS Photo: The Canadian Press, Lethbridge Herald, Ian Martens / AP

[Irrampbroow]

Pilot Capt. Brian Bews ejects as his a CF-18 fighter jet plummets to the ground during a practice flight at the Lethbridge County Airport on Friday, July 23, 2010 for the weekend airshow in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. MANDATORY CREDIT: THE CANADIAN PRESS, LETHBRIDGE HERALD, IAN MARTENS Photo: The Canadian Press, Lethbridge Herald, Ian Martens / AP

[Irrampbroow]

Pilot Capt. Brian Bews parachutes to safety as his a CF-18 fighter jet plummets to the ground during a practice flight at the Lethbridge County Airport on Friday, July 23, 2010 for the weekend airshow in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. MANDATORY CREDIT: THE CANADIAN PRESS, LETHBRIDGE HERALD, IAN MARTENS Photo: The Canadian Press, Lethbridge Herald, Ian Martens / AP

[Irrampbroow]

Pilot Capt. Brian Bews parachutes to safety as his a CF-18 fighter jet crashes and explodes during a practice flight at the Lethbridge County Airport on Friday, July 23, 2010 for the weekend airshow in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. MANDATORY CREDIT: THE CANADIAN PRESS, LETHBRIDGE HERALD, IAN MARTENS Photo: The Canadian Press, Lethbridge Herald, Ian Martens / AP

[Irrampbroow]

A CF-18 fighter explodes after crashing during a practice flight at the Lethbridge County Airport on Friday, July 23, 2010 for the weekend airshow in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. Pilot Capt. Brian Bews ejected and parachuted down before the impact. MANDATORY CREDIT: THE CANADIAN PRESS, LETHBRIDGE HERALD, IAN MARTENS Photo: The Canadian Press, Lethbridge Herald, Ian Martens / AP

[Friend_Joe]

A CF-18 fighter explodes after crashing during a practice flight at the Lethbridge County Airport on Friday, July 23, 2010 for the weekend airshow in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. Pilot Capt. Brian Bews ejected and parachuted down before the impact. MANDATORY CREDIT: THE CANADIAN PRESS, LETHBRIDGE HERALD, IAN MARTENS Photo: The Canadian Press, Lethbridge Herald, Ian Martens / AP

It would had made NDP a PERFECTION if one of these $52million fireworks blew up on the Padang and fried everyone there starting from MIWs.