U.S. military jet crashes in southern Germany

The pilot was taken to hospital with minor injuries, according to German television channel TVO.

A U.S. Air Force F-16 jet crashed in southern Germany early Tuesday but the pilot was able to eject, police said.

The pilot managed to safely eject from the plane and jettisoned the fuel tanks over an unpopulated area.

Assigned to the 480th Fighter Squadron, the F-16 was conducting a training exercise from the US Army’s Garrison Bavaria in Grafenwoehr on 11 August when it crashed at 09:38 local time near Engelmannsreuth in Bayreuth. “There were no live munitions on board”.

The police spokesman said the crash site had been cordoned off as a secure military area.

All persons are requested to stay away from the vicinity of the site for their own safety and not to impede on the response efforts. The cause of the accident remains under investigation. The 52nd Fighter Wing hosts up to 24 F-16 Fighting Falcons along with 2 TPS-75 radar arrays, which are mobile units designed to scan the airspace above them.