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Pilot escapes Navy jet fire

MORRISVILLE, N.C. - A Navy FA-18 burst into flames as it rolled for takeoff at Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Friday, forcing its pilot to eject before the fighter jet skidded to a fiery stop 250 feet from a passenger terminal.

The pilot, whose identity was not released, was listed in good condition at Wake Medical Center in Raleigh, airport spokeswoman Teresa Damiano said.

The plane was assigned to the Strike Fighter Squadron 15 and based at Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach, Va., said Mike Moss, a spokesman for the Naval Air Force Atlantic Fleet.

Moss said the plane was on a routine training mission; Damiano added that it had stopped to refuel at Raleigh-Durham.

Damiano said the pilot described his plane swerving and bursting into flames as he taxied down a runway toward takeoff around 3:10 p.m. The pilot ejected before the plane ever left the ground, and no one on the ground was injured, she added.

RICHMOND, Va. - A spectacular wind-whipped fire that dropped burning debris over downtown Richmond on Friday destroyed several buildings and brought traffic in a six-block area to a standstill.

One firefighter suffered minor smoke inhalation, but there were no reports of other injuries. The destroyed buildings included a four-story apartment house under construction, fire officials said. A warehouse and several row houses also appeared to be destroyed.

CHICAGO - A commuter train leaving a downtown station at the end of the morning rush hour collided with a locomotive on Friday. Eighteen people were injured, none seriously.

The two Metra trains bumped when a locomotive with no cars attached backed into the path of the commuter train at a switching point at the Ogilvie Transportation Center, one of the city's main train stations.

"They bumped very gently," said Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Donnellan. "It was just a slight nudge."

The passenger train, carrying 50 people and headed for the northwestern suburb of Crystal Lake, was going 5 mph or less, according to Metra.

The reason for the track mix-up was not immediately known. Metra said both trains' engineers and the station dispatcher underwent drug testing and were removed from duty pending an internal investigation.