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2 pilots eject from F-15 fighter jet at Illinois airport

By Associated Press
Published  May 18, 2021 4:21pm CDT
Military
Associated Press

Two pilots eject from fighter jet at Illinois airport

Two pilots ejected out of an F-15 fighter jet on a runway at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois on Tuesday.

MASCOUTAH, Ill. - Two pilots ejected safely from an F-15 fighter jet Tuesday morning when the aircraft left a runway while landing at a southwestern Illinois airport, military officials said.

The two U.S. active duty pilots suffered minor injuries in the 7:30 a.m. incident at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois, the U.S. Air Force said in a statement. MidAmerica is located about 25 miles east of St. Louis.

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Officials at the nearby Scott Air Force Base said both pilots were taken to a hospital, and one has since been released.

Scott Air Force Base officials said in February that Boeing’s new F-15QA, which was designed for the Qatar Emiri Air Force, would operate out of MidAmerica and that Qatari student pilots would be trained on the aircraft there for several months.

The F-15QA involved in Tuesday’s incident "was slated to be transferred to the Qatari Air Force through the Foreign Military Sales program. The incident is currently under investigation," the U.S. Air Force said in its statement.