Pilot survives vintage military jet fire near Nevada airport

HENDERSON, Nev. – A vintage single-engine British-built military jet crashed and burned in the desert just after takeoff from a suburban Las Vegas-area airport, but authorities said the pilot escaped serious injury.

The pilot was the only person aboard the Strikemaster jet when it crashed just before noon Monday about a half-mile (0.8 kilometres) south of Henderson Executive Airport, according to police, fire, airport and Federal Aviation Administration officials.

No one on the ground was injured, and the closest homes were about a half-mile (0.8 kilometres) away, Henderson fire spokeswoman Kathleen Richards said.

Airport spokeswoman Christine Crews said police were interviewing the pilot after the crash, and FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said the pilot also will meet with agency investigators. His name was not immediately made public.

The Strikemaster is a two-seat light-attack aircraft.

Nearly 150 of the jets were produced by British Aircraft Corporation from 1967 to 1984.