A US military F-16 fighter jet is believed to have crashed on Tuesday afternoon in the vicinity of Spangdahlem Air Base, located in Germany’s Eifel region.
The Trierischer Volksfreund reported the incident, citing information from several confidential sources. The crash is said to have occurred near the US Air Force base, where an F-16 squadron is stationed.
Local residents in Binsfeld told German broadcaster SWR that they saw a large cloud of smoke and witnessed a significant emergency response from both the fire brigade and police in the area.
According to initial reports, the pilot was attempting to land when the incident occurred. He managed to eject safely before the jet crashed onto a golf course near the B50 road between Binsfeld and Spangdahlem.
As of Tuesday afternoon, neither German authorities nor representatives of the Spangdahlem base had issued an official statement regarding the incident.
A similar incident took place in October 2019, when another fighter jet crashed near Spangdahlem.
