Pilot ejects seconds before plane explodes

A Canadian air force captain had an incredibly lucky escape when he bailed out of his CF-18 jet just seconds before it crashed to the ground. Pilot Brian Bews was practising for the Alberta International Air show and had just begun a manoeuvre when sparks began to shoot out of his engine.

The plane then began to bank over to one side. But before it came crashing to the ground, Bews ejected himself from the plane and landed using a parachute.

"All of a sudden you could hear 'pop, pop, pop,' and "I saw sparks come out of the one engine,” a witness told Canada’s CTV News. Another added: It was "a really big, big ball of fire. The plane basically disappeared into a giant dome of orange."

Bews was reportedly dragged several hundred feet but managed to avoid any serious injuries. He was released from hospital yesterday, Associated Press said. ·