Fighter jet crashes at Singapore airbase

An F-16 fighter jet crashed at a military airbase in Singapore on Wednesday with no casualties, the defence ministry said.

“The pilot successfully ejected and the plane crashed thereafter within Tengah Air Base,” it said in a statement.

“The pilot is conscious and able to walk. He is receiving medical attention and no other personnel are hurt.”

The ministry said the Singapore jet “experienced an issue during take-off and the pilot responded in accordance with emergency procedures.”

It added that it had begun investigating the crash.

Such incidents are extremely rare in the city-state with the most advanced air force in Southeast Asia.

“The last time we had a fighter jet crash incident was 20 years ago,” Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said on Facebook, referring to a 2004 incident that happened in Arizona in the United States during training.

“It’s a credible record but (I’m) obviously disappointed over this incident,” he said adding the goal for the Republic of Singapore Air Force “must still be zero crashes”.

In 2010, a military helicopter made an emergency landing at an open field near a Singapore residential area due to issues with the engine.