US Navy fighter jet crashes in Virginia

A US Navy fighter jet has crashed into an apartment building in the northeastern US city of Virginia Beach, military officials have said.

The F/A-18 plane's two crew members successfully ejected from the aircraft before it hit the ground, and were treated for non-life-threatening injuries at a local hospital, emergency response officials said on Friday.

Tim Riley, a fire department battalion chief, told media that no injuries had been reported on the ground so far.

"We have not had any reported missing people," he said.

Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital said both pilots were being treated at its emergency room.

"One person was treated for smoke inhalation on the ground," spokeswoman Sharon Hoggard told the AFP news agency.

Firefighters were attempting to control the blaze that had erupted in the heavily-built-up urban area after the jet crashed into the two-storey building.

"There were flames coming out of its engine at the back, which I just thought was afterburn or whatever... but the plane got lower and lower. I saw one pilot eject," Jon Swain, who witnessed the crash, said.

A US Navy statement said the plane that crashed was part of a Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106, based nearby at Naval Air Station Oceana.

"Initial reports indicate that at approximately 12:05 pm, the jet crashed just after takeoff at a location just off of the base," it said. "Both aircrew safely ejected from the aircraft."

Witnesses said they saw fuel being dumped from the jet before it hit the ground, a manoeuvre that likely prevented what could have been a massive fireball.

VFA 106 trains Navy and Marine Corps replacement pilots and weapon systems officers to support fleet commitments.

Oceana is a complex of more than 10km of runways, manned by more than 14,600 military personnel. It is home to 19 squadrons of fighter aircraft.

'Constant fear'

Virginia Beach is on the Atlantic coast, located about 320km south of Washington.

Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane, reporting from Washington, said that the location of the base has been a regular source of tension for residents for some years.

"This community is one that is in constant conflict over this navy base that's there ... it's the only [major] jet base on the east coast, so pretty much any Navy planes [on this side of the US] fly out of Virginia Beach," she said.

"This area has sort of grown up around this navy base, and this has been the constant fear.

"Any day that you're there, all hours, you will hear and see these fighter jets coming in and leaving for exercises over the Atlantic.

"It is loud, it is noisy, there has always been a fear that this would in fact happen."