Both pilots safely ejected from the plane that moments later crashed into a residential area in Virginia Beach.
Only nine people have been reported injured in the incident. US Navy Captain Mark Weisgerber blamed a “catastrophic mechanical malfunction” for the crash.
Commander Rosi from the US Navy said the aircrew of the plane, which belonged to the VFA-106 strike fighter squadron based in Oceana, have been taken to a nearby hospital. They, as well as five other people admitted to local hospitals are not in life-threatening condition.
Witnesses said two apartment buildings near the crash site were on fire, and rescue workers searched for potential casualties. Military police was also on site. Interstate 264 has been closed down. Thick black smoke could be seen rising from the scene.
Officials say three people remain unaccounted for as rescue workers searched the damaged apartment complex.
One of the first people on the scene told CBS news that he helped move one of the pilots to a safe distance from the blaze. According to the witness, the pilot was conscious and apologized profusely for crashing into the apartment complex.
Reports also suggest at least one apartment building has burnt down completely. Overall, at least 5 buildings and 20 apartment units have been affected by the fire.
Several people have also claimed the fighter jet was seen dumping fuel just before the crash, in order to avoid an explosion upon impact.
Fire officials say Birdneck Elementary School will open as shelter for displaced residents following the crash.
F-18 jets are used by the military for combat operations as well as for aerial displays. But this crash, unfortunately, is not an isolated incident for the US Navy Force fighter jets. The most recent crash involving an F-18 Hornet took place almost exactly one year ago, when 2 crew members died after the jet collapsed moments after takeoff in central California.
Another F-18 crashed into a residential area in San Diego in 2008, killing four people on the ground and destroying a number of houses. In 2011, an F-16 fighter-bomber crashed on landing at an air base in southern Italy after completing a mission in Libya. An F-15 jet also crashed while on a mission in Libya that same year.
Inferno: Though the pilots expelled most of the fuel before crashing, the fuselage was caught ablaze
Concerns: There are no known fatalities from the dramatic crash, but three elderly residents who lived in the apartment block are unaccounted for
Wrecked: An aerial view of the apartments shows the roofs of several buildings completely destroyed
Smoke: Virginia Department of Transportation traffic cameras show thick, black smoke rising from the Mayfair Mews apartment complex
Blaze: A video posted on YouTube showed that the fire spread along a row of houses within less than a minute of the crash
Trajectory: The F18 took off from the base about three miles away from the Mayfair Mews apartments; it would seem the pilots were heading towards the ocean
Take off: The F18 is seen taking off from Naval Air Station Oceana in its ill-fated flight
Gaining control: Firefighters worked hard to contain the fire, which could have been much worse if the pilots did not first dump much of the jet’s fuel
In shock: Elizabeth DeAngelis, right, a resident of the Mayfair Mews Apartments, huddles in a blanket, as her daughter Misty Caine lets a caller know that her mother is fine
Mother and daughter: Steffany Poe with her two-year-old daughter Izabella watch as Virginia Beach Fire Department try to extinguish the flames
Scene of chaos: Emergency personal swarmed the scene after the crash
Scene of destruction: Firefighters quelled the flames by spraying foam over the apartment buildings
Ongoing: Rescue teams had searched 95 per cent of the structures by Friday evening, the fire service announced
Back in black: Virginia Beach Police walk through the crash site; emergency workers were applauded by Virginia Beach mayor William D. Sessoms, Jr. today
Put out: The Virginia Beach Fire Department used several engines to fight the flames
