MASCOUTAH, Ill. — Two military pilots suffered minor injuries after they were ejected from a fighter jet that was on the runway at MidAmerica Airport Tuesday morning.
Both pilots were taken to the hospital and one has been released, according to a spokesperson from Scott Air Force Base
The Boeing F-15QA departed the runway at MidAmerica around 7:30 a.m. and there was an emergency that prompted the ejection, officials said. The cause of the emergency remains under investigation.
A 5 On Your Side photojournalist captured video from the scene, which showed the jet sitting on the runway without its canopy.
A Mascoutah Fire Department chief told 5 On Your Side that the department was requested at the airport and remained on standby.
The F-15QA jet was slated to be transferred to the Qatari Air Force through a foreign military sales program, the spokesperson said. (Qatar is located in the Persian Gulf, just east of Saudi Arabia.)
Military personnel from Scott Air Force Base are part of the training program involving the jet, according to a tweet posted in February.
In April 2020, Boeing completed the first flight of the F-15AQ from St. Louis Lambert International Airport, according to a press release from Boeing. The U.S. Department of Defense awarded Boeing a $6.2 billion contract in 2017 to manufacture 36 F-15 fighter jets for Qatar's Air Force.
Boeing built a domestic variant of the jet through investments with the sales program with Qatar. In March, the company delivered the first F-15EX to the U.S. Air Force.