An engine malfunction forced a US fighter pilot to eject from his aircraft during an emergency landing at Bahrain International Airport. The pilot had taken off from a US supercarrier in the Gulf before the incident on Saturday.
Delays were reported by passengers at the airport following the incident. Images corroborated by RT.com show the F/A-18E next to the runway tipped on to one wing.
The aircraft had planned to divert to Sheik Isa Airbase following the malfunction. When this could not be accomplished it made the landing instead at Bahrain International Airport, the US Navy’s 5th fleet said in a statement.
“Due to the malfunction, the aircraft could not be stopped on the runway and the pilot ejected from the aircraft as it departed the runway,” the statement said.
Bahrain’s Ministry of Transport and Communications confirmed the incident, saying no injuries occurred.