Warplanes grounded after RAAF jet crash near Brisbane

Thirty-five RAAF jets have been grounded after an F/A-18F Super Hornet crashed south-west of Brisbane and forced two air crew members to eject from the aircraft at the RAAF Base Amberley.

The pair took action as the F/A-18F Super Hornet attempted to take off at the site, about 50 kilometres south-west of Brisbane about 2.30pm on Tuesday.

Footage from the scene showed two people descending to the ground with parachutes. The nose landing gear on the aircraft, which had burn marks around its cockpit, later collapsed after it continued to roll across the runway.

“The aircrew ejected and are safe. No other personnel were involved in the incident,” a Defence spokesman said.