A CF-18 fighter jet crashed in southern Alberta on Friday, sending a huge fireball into the Prairie sky as the pilot miraculously ejected.

Horrified onlookers watched as the jet crashed at the Lethbridge County Airport. The pilot, Capt. Brian Bews, was taken to hospital with undetermined injuries.

"The pilot successfully ejected and has been recovered," said Capt. Holly Brown from 17 Wing in Winnipeg. "His well-being is our primary concern and that's what we're focusing on."

Bews is stationed in Quebec and the CF-18 he was flying was used for airshows only.

"Anytime you have an injury or go through something like that, there's obvious injuries and there's injuries you don't know about until later on," she said. "At this point we're not saying because we don't know."

However, air show officials said the injuries were not critical.

"We understand the pilot is doing really well, making jokes," said Kathy Wallocha, who is past president of the show.

Photos of the crash show the plane smashing into the ground and erupting in flames. Only a few metres above the fireball, the pilot is seen in his ejection seat.

Fire and emergency crews were sent to the scene and roads toward the airport were shutdown.

The crash occurred as the pilot was practising aerial maneuvers in advance of the Alberta International Airshow, which begins on Saturday.

Officials from CFB Cold Lake said the pilot used a parachute to eject. However, he still hit the ground hard, they said.

The airshow will go ahead as planned this weekend.

Meanwhile, the Department of National Defence and Transport Canada will investigate the cause of the crash.

The Defence Department website states Bews realized his dream to fly the CF-18 Hornet in 2004.

The CF-18 has been in service for nearly three decades. Several have crashed in recent years.

Earlier this month, controversy erupted after Ottawa announced that it would spend billions to purchase the new F-35 fighter as a replacement for the aging CF-18s.

With files from CTV Edmonton and The Canadian Press