Swiss F/A-18 down

[Dimitri Cherchenko]

A F/A-18 fighter jet of the Swiss Army crashed on Wednesday morning east of Besancon in an uninhabited area. The pilot survived the accident.

http://images.nzz.ch/eos/v2/image/view/620/-/text/inset/6a8cd5e8/1.18629705/1444824352/flugzeugabsturz-frankreich.jpg

20 minutes - Un avion militaire suisse s'écrase dans le Doubs - Suisse (http://www.20min.ch/ro/news/suisse/story/Un-avion-militaire-suisse-s-ecrase-dans-le-Doubs-13842654)

France: Un avion militaire suisse s'écrase dans le Doubs - Monde - tdg.ch (http://www.tdg.ch/monde/avion-militaire-suisse-s-ecrase-doubs/story/18646817)

Luftwaffe: Schweizer Militärflugzeug in Frankreich abgestürzt - NZZ Schweiz (http://www.nzz.ch/schweiz/schweizer-militaerflugzeug-in-frankreich-abgestuerzt-1.18629699)

[deptrai]

Pilot returned to Switzerland a few days ago, bruised by the bang seat. Hope he'll fly again. M.H., experienced fast jet pilot, Fighter Squadron 18, field officer, spare pilot on the PC-7 team (a Swiss Air Force aerobatics team flying PC-7 trainers), evaluated the Gripen (which Switzerland didn't buy)...I'm happy to see no one questioned his experience or skills here (yet realistically, that's because not many here have any particular interest in that country :) ). Swiss air force now temporarily prohibits high alpha maneuvers as a precaution. Rumors are one engine failed at low altitude. Now they're down to 31 F/A 18 (flying during office hours).