‘I knew we have gas in the buildings, so I didn’t know if there were going to be secondary explosions’. ‘He had something on the lower half of his body, something heavy. ‘I checked him over, did a body survey, he was in shock, still strapped to his seat so we picked him up, dragged him to the other side of the parking lot away from the fire. Retired Virginia Beach rescuer Pat Kavanaugh told CNN: ‘He apologised very much for hitting out complex and I told him: ‘Don’t worry about it, everything’s going to be fine’. '(The pilot) apologised very much for hitting out complex and I told him: ‘Don’t worry about it, everything’s going to be fine.' Smith said he and another man helped the pilot onto the street.
'The pilot said, "I'm sorry for destroying your house."'
#F18 CARRIER LANDING DUMPING FUEL FULL#
'I saw the parachute on the house and he was still connected to it, and he was laying on the ground with his face full of blood,' Smith told WVEC-TV. He ran outside, where he saw billowing black smoke and then came upon the pilot as he ran to a friend's home. Residents of the apartment complex described a confusing scene and an apologetic pilot.Ĭolby Smith said his house started shaking and then the power went out, as he saw a red and orange blaze outside his window. 'We have physically been in every structure, and we have 95 per cent completed the search and rescue,' Virginia Beach Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Tim Riley told Reuters on Friday night. Rescuers worked into the evening checking the buildings for victims. He added: ‘Their dedication to their jobs, to saving lives, and to public safety is commendable.’ĭozens of firefighters and emergency workers converged on the scene following the crash, covering the apartment complex with foam to quell the flames. Sessoms, Jr released a statement on Friday afternoon praising the work of first responders, lauding ‘how quickly and effectively Virginia Beach’s police, fire, and EMS personnel responded to the scene of this horrific crash’. Speaking five blocks from the smouldering buildings, Mayor William D. Put out: The Virginia Beach Fire Department used several engines to fight the flames 'So far, they haven't found any casualties,' Mr Matthias said. Robert Matthias, assistant to Virginia Beach's city manager, told The Associated Press crews are at the scene of an apartment complex where the jet crashed in what he described as a courtyard. Overhead helicopter video from WAVY-TV showed fire crews in the apartment complex with large ladders spraying water on multiple smoking buildings, one of which has part of its roof torn off. Mr Pilkington also said the engine sounded like it was ‘straining and stressing’. They (the crew members) must have ejected before they came down.’ He said: ‘It was emptying out fuel and the tail end was down. George Pilkington also witnessed the disaster, and told CNN the timeline of events, describing a few large explosions after the initial crash. With all of that jet fuel dumped, it was much less than what it could have been.’ ‘He mitigated what could have been an absolute massive, massive fireball. That action likely prevented a massive fireball upon impact, he said. There were also reports of buildings collapsing.īruce Nedelka, the Virginia Beach EMS division chief, said that it seemed like the pilots were dumping the jet’s fuel prior to the crash. ‘There’s these large fire balls coming up,’ he said. Witness Zack Zapatero told CNN that the jet crashed into a building where many senior citizens live.
Mother and daughter: Steffany Poe with her two-year-old daughter Izabella watch as Virginia Beach Fire Department try to extinguish the flames The terrifying footage and photographs from this afternoon painted a different picture, showing smoke rising from numerous homes and the wreckage of the fuselage laying smoldering on the ground. Rescuers continued to search the wreckage of the Mayfair Mews apartment complex for victims on Friday night the whereabouts of three residents who live in the block are unknown, Reuters reported.
There are no known deaths - but fears remain over three elderly people who are unaccounted for.įive civilians, as well as the two pilots, who were a student and an instructor, were taken to hospital to be treated, but their injuries were not serious and all but one, a pilot, had been released by Friday evening. Two hero pilots have been praised for preventing scores of potential deaths by dumping plane fuel as their doomed F-18 Navy fighter jet plummeted to the ground in Virginia Beach, Virginia - decisive action that authorities saved the craft from sparking a 'massive, massive fireball'.Īlthough the plane crashed into an apartment building, ripping the roofs off condos, town houses, and a retirement community, the two crew members safely ejected from the craft.
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