Fighter jet crashes at Chinese airshow, one pilot missing

Fighter jet crashes at Chinese airshow, one pilot missing

2011-10-14 21:38:08 GMT+7 (ICT)

PUCHENG, CHINA (BNO NEWS) -- A fighter jet crashed during an air show in southwestern China on late Friday morning, injuring one pilot and leaving another pilot unaccounted for, state-run media reported.

The accident occurred at around 10.47 a.m. local time when an FBC-1 aircraft, also known as a Flying Leopard, nose-dived and crashed near Neifu Airport in Pucheng County of Shaanxi Province, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) northeast of the provincial capital of Xi'an. It happened during the 2011 China International General Aviation Convention.

He Liang, a member of the convention's executive committee, said one of the pilots in the aircraft successfully ejected and parachuted out before the jet crashed into the ground. He suffered minor injuries, but the co-pilot remains unaccounted for.

Despite the accident, the airshow continued until around 12:30 p.m. local time. The FBC-1 fighter jet is a Chinese aircraft manufactured by Xi'an Aircraft Industry Corp.

Jin Qiansheng, an official with the Yanliang National Aviation Hi-tech Industrial Base in Xi'an, confirmed that the activities at the 2011 China International General Aviation Convention, which lasts three days, will be conducted as scheduled.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-10-14