US F-16 pilot ejects as jet crashes in Germany

Berlin

A US F-16 fighter jet crashed yesterday in southern Germany but the pilot parachuted to safety with only minor injuries, local police and the US military said.

The jet came down at 0738 GMT in a wooded area near the city of Bayreuth in Bavaria, sparking a forest fire. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.

"The pilot safely ejected" when the F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed during a training flight, said a spokesman for the US Spangdahlem Air Base near the western city of Trier, where the jet was stationed.

"The cause of the accident is currently under investigation," the statement added.

Bavarian police said that a passerby found the slightly injured pilot "in a wooded area near the crash site and delivered him into the hands of rescue services."

A local police spokesman earlier told media that "the pilot managed to eject with his parachute. He suffered minor injuries and required medical attention."

"The crash site is in an area that is difficult to reach. Emergency services and the fire brigade are trying to get to it to put out the fire," added the police spokesman.

"US military first responders are working with German authorities to secure the crash site," said the US statement. "A 350-metre cordon was established to protect the crash site and begin investigations." Spangdahlem is one of about 20 US military bases in Germany, most of them in the country's south.