US F-16 crashes at Spangdahlem air base in Germany

A US F-16 fighter jet crashed Tuesday near Spangdahlem Air Base in western Germany, military authorities said in a statement.

The jet, assigned to the 52nd Fighter Wing, went down at about 2.30 pm local time (1230GMT), according to the military base's press office.

“The pilot ejected safely and is receiving medical care,” it said. “The cause of the incident is under investigation. Additional information will be released as it becomes available.”

Earlier Tuesday, the Eifelkreis Bitburg-Pruem district said fire and disaster protection units had been sent to the scene. “According to current knowledge, one person was injured,” the district administration said, adding that it could not provide additional details.

Several residents told reporters they saw a large black column of smoke after the jet went down. Regional outlets also published pictures of the plume.

A spokesperson for Germany’s air traffic control agency told public broadcaster SWR that the crash happened after a training exercise involving four aircraft. Two were returning

Spangdahlem when the first crashed. The other three diverted to Ramstein Air Base.

Spangdahlem Air Base lies about 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Trier in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate in West Germany. It is home to an F-16 squadron of the US 52nd Fighter Wing.

The base has seen previous F-16 crashes. In October 2019, an F-16 crashed during a training flight after a power failure shortly after takeoff; the pilot ejected and was lightly injured. In September 2006, another F-16 crashed in the Bitburg-Pruem district. No one was injured.