Navy Pilot Ejects On Runway

A Navy pilot ejected from his F/A-18 Hornet on Friday about 2,000 feet into its takeoff roll at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, in North Carolina. The burning jet cartwheeled to a stop on the airfield. Emergency crews doused the flames, and nobody on the ground was hurt. The pilot suffered minor injuries. The jet was part of a two-aircraft flight on a routine cross-country training mission, and both jets had stopped at RDU to refuel. The other jet, which had taken off first, returned to the airport and landed safely. The Hornet was based at Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia. Another U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet aircraft crashed last Wednesday off the coast of South Carolina while on a routine training mission. The pilot was rescued unhurt. That aircraft was based at the Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort, S.C. Both accidents are under investigation.