“The accident occurred at 9:30 am, 40 kilometres south of Karlskrona in Hanö Bay. The pilot ejected safely and has been rescued from the sea and taken to hospital,” a Swedish Armed Forces spokeswoman told AFP.
The cause of the accident was not yet known, she said, adding that the military would hold a press conference later in the day.
Wednesday’s incident was the fourth crash of a JAS 39 Gripen. The most dramatic crash occurred in 1993 during an air show over central Stockholm. The plane went into a nosedive and crashed just 30 metres from thousands of spectators. The pilot ejected to safety.
(AFP)
