Two Hornet fighter jets sustain damage in mid-air collision

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Two Hornet F-18 fighter jets belonging to the Finnish Air Force's Karelia Air Command collided in mid-air during a training mission involving four Hornets, just south of the city of Nurmes at 9:49 on Thursday morning.
      The planes were travelling at a speed of roughly 1,000 km/h at an altitude of 7,500 metres.
      One of the fighter-interceptors sustained damage to the tip of its rudder, while the other one lost the rear of its cockpit canopy. Both pilots escaped the potentially disastrous situation unharmed.
     
The pilots of the planes were both 1st Lieutenants and around 30 years of age. Both men serve as standby pilots in the Karelia Air Command.
      After the collision, the ill-fated Hornets quickly descended and landed safely at the Rissala Airbase in Kuopio at 10:06 and 10:11 respectively.
      The emergency rescue units from the Kuopio Airport received an alert because of the accident.
      According to the commander of the Karelia Air Command, Colonel Juho Suonperä, a much more serious accident was narrowly avoided.
     
The two fighter jets, which had been paired up for a radar interception exercise, were supposed to be at least a kilometre away from each other. During training missions the Air Force jets are not allowed to fly closer than 100 metres from one another.
      The Air Force immediately launched a preliminary investigation into the cause of the accident. The weather and visibility during the incident were excellent.
      The Finnish Air Force possesses seven two-seater F-18 D Hornets and 56 single-seat F 18 C jets. The first Hornets, purchased from the United States, arrived in Finland in November 1995.
     
It was estimated on Thursday that the damaged aircraft could be out of service for as long as some months. The actual repairs can be completed in fairly short order, but the investigation team will require time to examine the planes, the data on black box recorders, and the damage caused.
      A preliminary sweep of the ground in the immediate area of the collision produced no items of debris. It is thought that the piece of tailplane, measuring around 20cm x 40cm, might be found, but the glass cockpit canopy  almost certainly disintegrated.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Two F-18 Hornets in mid-air collision, one destroyed (9.11.2001)

Links:
  Ilmavoimat - The Finnish Air Force
  Finnish Air Force (an unofficial Dutch site)

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