By SABRINA PENTY, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 01:12 BST, 22 August 2025 | Updated: 01:42 BST, 22 August 2025
This is the terrifying moment a fighter jet burst into flames and crashed seconds after take-off. Footage shows the Boeing F/A-18 Hornet roaring down the runway with flames trailing behind it at the Sultan Ahmad Shah Airport in Kuantan, Malaysia just moments before its engines exploded. The two pilots on board were reportedly ejected from the plane just moments before it crashed on Thursday night.Police confirmed that both pilots were immediately rushed to Tengku Ampuam Afzan Hospital for medical examination. The Boeing jet is operated by the Royal Malaysian Air Force. The Air Force said: 'We would like to inform you of an accident involving an F/A-18D Hornet at 9.05pm August 21 at the Sultan Ahmad Shah Airport in Kuantan.'We are taking immediate action and will update on the latest development.'Onlookers said the crash sounded like a missile strike and it was heard from a mile away. Footage captured the moment a fighter jet burst into flames and crashed seconds after take-off on Thursday in Sultan Ahmad Shah Airport in Kuantan, Malaysia Screen grab shows the moment the fighter jet burst into flames as its engines exploded Flames can be seen trailing behind as the jet took off One witness, who was dining at a restaurant near the military base, told local news agency Bernama: 'After the explosion, I could see flames in the airport and smoke billowing.'Initially there was a fire burning, but then there was an explosion and the blaze git intense.'The horrific incident involving a fighter jet comes after 31 people, mostly students, were killed last month when a training aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force crashed into a school campus in the capital Dhaka.More than 100 people were also injured in the accident. The jet crashed onto the campus of the Milestone School and College in the city's Uttara area in the afternoon, where children were present.Television footage showed fire and smoke billowing from the site of the crash as bystanders were seen trying put out the flames. Onlookers said the crash sounded like a missile strike and it was heard from a mile awayOther clips circulating on social media showed crowds of students fleeing from the scene in a panic.The Bangladesh Army's public relations office confirmed in a brief statement that the downed F-7 BGI aircraft belonged to the Air Force.The military said it had suffered mechanical failure.
