Indonesian fighter jet catches fire on runway, pilot jumps to safety

The pilot escaped with minor injuries and is now being treated in hospital after leaping from the blazing F-16 aircraft, which was about to take off from an airbase in the capital Jakarta.

“As the aircraft was about to take off, there was a fire in the engine, and the pilot straight away decided to abort the flight,” air force chief of staff Agus Supriatna said on news channel MetroTV.