US Air Force F-16 crashes at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany

A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed at Spangdahlem Air Base in western Germany on Tuesday afternoon during a training flight, according to a statement from base officials. The jet belonged to the base's 52nd Fighter Wing.

The pilot ejected before impact and was injured. Base officials said the pilot is receiving medical attention. There were reports of one injury, though it was not immediately clear whether that referred to the pilot or to someone on the ground near the crash site.

The aircraft came down on the base golf course, which sits beneath the approach path to Runway 04, a few meters from the runway threshold as the jet was on its way in to land. It was flying alongside a second F-16 at the time.

Emergency crews were close at hand and put out the fire quickly. Images from the scene showed a thick column of black smoke that was visible across the surrounding area, and indicated the aircraft was destroyed.

Birthe Thomsen, the mayor of the nearby town of Speicher, saw the crash. "I saw it go down quickly and then a large column of black smoke," she said.

The crash is the second known U.S. Air Force F-16 incident in a week. On Sept. 17, an F-16 went down in Northern Michigan; the pilot in that crash also ejected before the jet hit the ground.

U.S. authorities have opened an investigation.