Video: Supersonic F/A-18C Hornet bursts into flame on aircraft carrier flight deck
Fire is one of the most serious hazards aboard any ship at sea, and is a particularly serious problem among warfighting vessels.
On Monday, an F/A-18C Hornet burst into flames as one of its engines gave out. Even with one engine and the entire back of the plane on fire, the pilot (a member of the Stingers, VFA-113) managed to bring the craft in for a landing on the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson (CVN-70).
The Hornet design is old, dating all the way back to the 1970s. It's a very versatile craft, able to fight air-to-air and air-to-ground. While this one had a severe engine fire, the F/A-18C has been a very reliable airframe for more than 30 years.
The video above shows the extraordinary efforts used to manage flight deck fires. The image quality isn't the best, but you can still see exactly what happens and it's very impressive.
One note of disclosure: I took a couple of cruises on the Vinson in a "civilian capacity" back in the day (which is all I can really say). Back then, as now, it had an exceptional crew.
Here's a shoutout to everyone on the crew, and especially the intrepid pilot who came home safely and brought his injured bird in for an incredible landing.