Finnish Air Force F/A-18 Hornet fighter suffers an accident in Rovaniemi
An F/A-18 Hornet fighter crashed in the Rovaniemi airport area on 7 May 2025 at around 11 am. The pilot rescued himself with the ejection seat and was slightly injured. The aircraft accident did not involve personal injuries on the ground.
On Wednesday 7 May 2025 at 10:45 a Lapland Air Wing (LAW) Hornet pilot departed on a flight that took place in the immediate vicinity of Rovaniemi Air Base. The sortie was a display practice flight in which the pilot trained aerobatic manoeuvres for a Hornet air display.
The tail number of the F/A-18 Hornet fighter was HN-409. The flight was cut short at 10:50 when the aircraft crashed into the ground in the airport area. The pilot rescued himself by ejecting before the aircraft hit the ground.
The fighter fell to the ground on the edge of the runway area, from where it drifted to the LAW F-35 construction site’s corner which had no buildings or people.
Both Lapland Air Wing and Finavia rescue units arrived soon after the crash to the accident scene. The fuselage was on fire when the rescuers arrived. The rescue units started immediate fire extinguishing measures.
The pilot parachuted to the airfield and walked into the LAW rescue vehicle without assistance. The Air Force medical staff quickly began checking the pilot’s condition and an ambulance transferred him to Lapland Central Hospital for further examining.
The burning wreckage of the aircraft was effectively extinguished. Military police and local police cordoned off the accident site. Rovaniemi Airport was not closed. The Lentokentäntie road was closed for a short while to ensure free flow of rescue traffic.
The pilot suffered minor injuries and has been released from hospital. There were no personal injuries on the ground.
Finavia states that the accident will have no effect on the operations or passenger travel of the airport. No major damage was incurred at the Air Wing’s construction site and the accident will not impact the continuation of construction work.
