An F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet takes off from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, Oct. 25, 2024. (Sydney Franklin/U.S. Air Force)
An Air Force pilot is receiving medical care in Germany after his aircraft crashed Tuesday.
The unnamed pilot ejected safely from the F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 52nd Fighter Wing in Spangdahlem, Germany at approximately 2:30 p.m. local time, the Wing said in a statement.
The extent of the pilot’s injuries were unclear. There were no reported injuries to ground personnel, the Wing told Stars and Stripes.
Emergency services from the Eifel district of Bitburg-Prüm, the local government district that includes Spangdahlem Air Base, were deployed to the crash site on the base, the district said in a separate statement.
The aircraft was returning to Spangdahlem Air Base following a routine training flight involving four F-16s when the crash occurred. The remaining three aircraft diverted to Ramstein Air Base and landed safely, officials said.
Information regarding the cause of the accident was not immediately provided, but 52nd Fighter Wing said an investigation had been launched.
Spangdahlem is home to the 480th Fighter Squadron, which operates more than two dozen F-16 Fighting Falcons.
Residents near the base reported seeing a large plume of smoke after the crash, according to social media posts.
German public broadcaster SWR, citing German Air Traffic Control, reported that the crash occurred after a training exercise.
U.S. aircraft have stopped at Spangdahlem en route to the Middle East during the war with Iran. There was no immediate indication Tuesday’s flight was connected to those operations.
