Australian aircraft aborts takeoff, catches fire in Las Vegas
No serious injuries were reported after an Royal Australian Air Force aircraft aborted its takeoff and caught fire Saturday morning at Nellis Air Force Base, officials said.
A Nellis release said the incident happened about 10:45 a.m. on the base’s flight line. Five people were treated for minor injuries, 99th Air Base Wing spokeswoman Maj. Christina Sukach said.
“All personnel are safe,” the release said.
The aircraft never made it off the ground, Sukach said.
In a statement, the Australian Defence Force said the aircraft involved was an EA-18G Growler, an aircraft specializing in electronic warfare.
The incident happened during Red Flag, an air-to-air combat training exercise at Nellis, the Defence Force said.
The Defence Force said its Royal Australian Air Force personnel were safe.
“Defence is currently working with the United States Air Force to investigate and will provide an update with further details once known,” the statement said.
No further information was available.
Contact Mike Shoro at mshoro@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Follow @mike_shoro on Twitter.
