US F-16 fighter jet crashes on approach to Spangdahlem base in Germany, pilot ejects
A US Air Force F-16 crashed on approach to Spangdahlem Air Base in western Germany on Tuesday afternoon. The pilot ejected and is receiving medical treatment; the cause is under investigation.
A US Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed near Spangdahlem Air Base in western Germany on Tuesday afternoon, with the pilot ejecting before impact, the US military said. The pilot is receiving medical treatment and the cause is under investigation.
The jet went down at around 2:30pm local time while on approach to the base in the Eifel region of Rhineland-Palatinate, home to the US Air Force’s 52nd Fighter Wing. A base spokesperson told the New York Post that four jets had been taking part in a training exercise when one of two returning aircraft crashed; the other three were diverted to nearby Ramstein Air Base, German air traffic control confirmed.
The mayor of the nearby town of Speicher, Birthe Thomsen, told broadcaster SWR she watched the jet “descend quickly, followed by a large column of black smoke.” The New York Post, citing the base spokesperson, reported the pilot was injured in the crash and is being treated.
It is the second US F-16 crash in about a week, following the Sept. 17 crash of an F-16 in northern Michigan, in which that pilot also ejected before the aircraft hit the ground, according to The Aviationist.
Sources
- Reuters: F-16 fighter jet crashes at US air base in western Germany — reuters.com
- New York Post: F-16 fighter jet crashes near US and NATO airbase in Germany — nypost.com
- Jerusalem Post (Reuters): F-16 crash near US air base in Germany — jpost.com
- The Aviationist: U.S. Air Force F-16 Goes Down at Spangdahlem Air Base — theaviationist.com
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