Chinese fighter jet crashes into people’s houses, 3 casualties

The scene of the crash of a Chinese fighter jet in Xiangyang city, Hubei province, China – Source: Weibo

According to CCTV, the J-7 fighter “had an accident during training and crashed in the vicinity of the airport, causing damage to people’s houses”.

The pilot ejected safely and was transported to the hospital with the other injured. Xinhua News Agency said the incident happened near Lao Hekou airport in Xiangyang city.

CCTV said the cause of the accident was under investigation.

Video of the accident scene posted online by Xinhua News Agency showed flames with black smoke rising from a street in Xiangyang city. Some buildings appear to have been completely flattened in the crash.

A video posted online shows firefighters directing water hoses at a pile of rubble next to a three-story building, according to Bloomberg News.

According to Xinhua, Lao Hekou Airport is currently mainly used to train new pilots of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force.

Before that, in 2019, two pilots were killed when a Chinese navy plane crashed in Hainan province.

In March 2022, a civilian plane crashed in Guangxi province, southern China, killing 132 people. This is the worst air disaster in China in decades.