IAF F-15
Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Office
IAF jet makes emergency landing
F-15 forced to land after bird-strike causes engine to catch fire. Jet lands safely, pilots unharmed
An IAF fighter jet was forced to make an emergency landing on Thursday after one of its engines caught fire during a routine training flight.
Initial details suggest the F-15's engine caught fire due to a bird-strike. The jet landed safely at the Tel Nof Air Base. The pilots were unharmed.
A military source confirmed the incident, adding: "Around 11:20am, an F-15 on a training flight was hit by a bird. The pilot and copilot followed procedure and immediately aborted the flight landing safely.
"The jet is currently undergoing a mechanical and technical inspection to determine whether it sustained any damage."
Bird strikes, or BASH (Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard) are considered a significant threat to both civilian and military flight safety. In most cases, a bird hits the windscreen or flies into the engines, causing them to fail.
Luckily the majority of BASH incident do not cause human fatalities.
Aviel Magnezi contributed to this report
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