Gripen fighter plane catches fire while landing

12:00 AM, August 7, 2009
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A Saab JAS Gripen fighter plane,one of the contender for $10 billion Indian MMRCA competition, caught fire after an emergency landing at Kallinge airport in southeastern Sweden at 2.30pm on Thursday. The pilot escaped unharmed and was able to make his own way out of the burning plane, according to Swedish media reports. "It's reasonable to assume that he's shaken," chief of staff Nils-Göran Bernebring told news agency. The fire took hold in the plane's landing gear when the vehicle had touched ground and was still in motion. The landing runway has been sealed until further notice. It is not yet known why the pilot was forced to make an emergency landing. Local wing commander Mats Helgesson described the pilot as very experienced. "He was out on a flight exercise and was on his way back to Kallinge," he said.

Gripen fighter plane catches fire while landing

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