A US Air Force Lockheed Martin F-16C based out of Spangdahlem AFB in Germany has crashed during a training exercise in Bavaria.
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.
The USAF says the pilot of the single-seater variant ejected safely, and that the cause of the accident is under investigation.
USAF F-16 flying out of Spangdahlem on 6 July 2015
US Air Force
Although no further details were provided by the service, it is believed that the aircraft was carrying a practice bomb on board, and pictures have emerged of a fire erupting within a forested area, which the US military and German authorities were trying to contain.
Pictures have also emerged of the aircraft’s canopy bearing the registration number 91-366, which shows the aircraft has a build year of 1993, according to Flightglobal’s Fleets Analyzer database.
The USAF has a 24-strong F-16C/D basing at Spangdahlem, the service says.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
