Ukraine's F-16 fighter jet crashes, pilot ejects safely, air force says

Ukraine lost an F-16 fighter jet on Friday morning after an incident on board, though the pilot ejected safely, the Ukrainian air force said in a statement.

“According to preliminary data… an unusual situation arose on board. The pilot moved the aircraft away from the settlement and successfully ejected,” it said on the Telegram messenger.

The air force said the pilot was feeling fine.

It indicated that the crash did not appear to be the result of Russian fire and a commission had been appointed to investigate all circumstances of the incident.

The crash is the second involving an F-16 since Kyiv began receiving the fighter jets from U.S. allies last year as part of a programme approved by the administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden.

In late August 2024, an F-16 crashed and its pilot died while repelling a major Russian air strike.

Ukraine does not disclose the number of aircraft it has received.