GERMANY/FILE-US JET CRASH U.S. fighter jet crashes in forest in southern Germany; pilot successfully ejects before impact

Record ID: 144323

  • Title: GERMANY/FILE-US JET CRASH U.S. fighter jet crashes in forest in southern Germany; pilot successfully ejects before impact
  • Date: 11th August 2015
  • Summary: ENGELMANNSREUTH, GERMANY (AUGUST 11, 2015) (REUTERS) ROAD LEADING TO ENGELMANNSREUTH SIGN FOR ENGELMANNSREUTH VARIOUS OF EMERGENCY SERVICES ON ROADS AND ROAD BLOCKS FIRE BRIGADE VEHICLE DRIVING PAST (SOUNDBITE) (German) EYEWITNESS, MRS ERNST, SAYING (IN ANSWER TO THE QUESTION IF SHE WAS SCARED): "Oh yes. Then I went to the window and saw the parachute, when he jumped, I saw him falling back there, and then huge plume of smoke, as black as coal. A really big thing." POLICE CAR DRIVING PAST (SOUNDBITE) (German) EYEWITNESS, MRS ERNST, SAYING AS SHE POINTS TO WHERE SHE SAW THE PLANE GO DOWN: "Behind the tree it went down, it went down." MEDICAL HELICOPTER FLYING PAST
  • Embargoed: 26th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA768ODSJZKFW1HSO9I3KNN6ZHQ
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: A U.S. fighter jet crashed into the forest near the southern German town of Bayreuth on Tuesday (August 11).
    According to reports, the aircraft - an F-16 Fighting Falcon - crashed into a wooded area at around 0930 local (0730GMT).
    Officials confirmed that the pilot was able to safely eject and suffered minor injuries. He was found by a member of the public in the woods near to the crash site and is now being treated in hospital.
    The U.S. Air Force 52nd Fighter Wing said the pilot was also able to jettison the aircraft's fuel tanks over an unpopulated area.
    The press release stated that the F-16 was carrying six 25-pound training munitions but that there were no live munitions on board.
    The jet - which was assigned to the 480th Fighter Squadron - was on a training flight from the U.S. air base at Spangdahlem in western Germany to the U.S. army base of Grafenwoehr, Bavaria, when it crashed.
    It was not immediately clear what caused the accident.
    Several hundred police and fire officers, as well as U.S. military first responders, were in attendance at the site and a 350 metre cordon has been set up to protect the crash site while investigations continue.
    One eyewitness said she noticed something was wrong when the plane flew very low over her house and she then heard a loud bang.
    "I went to the window and saw the parachute, when he jumped, I saw him falling back there, and then huge plume of smoke, as black as coal. A really big thing," Mrs Ernst told Reuters TV in the nearby village of Engelmannsreuth.
    Officials asked that all persons stay away from the vicinity of the crash site for their own safety.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register