Four jets had been on a training exercise; two returning to base
An F-16 fighter jet assigned to the US air base at Spangdahlem in western Germany crashed on Tuesday while on approach to the base, the US military said in a statement. One pilot ejected safely and was receiving medical treatment, according to the statement.
The crash occurred during a training exercise that involved four F-16s, according to a separate statement from Germany’s air traffic control authority. Two of the four aircraft remained in the training area while the other two were returning to Spangdahlem, the German authority said.
One of the two returning F-16s is believed to have crashed on approach to Spangdahlem, the German air traffic control authority said. The three remaining F-16s from the training exercise landed at Ramstein, a US Air Force base also in western Germany, according to the statement.
The US military said the cause of the incident is under investigation. Emergency response personnel were at the scene, the US military statement said.
The pilot’s identity, the specific unit to which the aircraft was assigned, and the nature of the training exercise were not included in the initial US military statement or the German air traffic control statement released on Tuesday. The Guardian’s dispatch carried a photograph credited to the US Air Force/PA and ended with a “More details soon” placeholder.