The pilot of a US F-16 Fighting Falcon survived a crash at Spangdahlem Air Base in western Germany on Tuesday, September 22. The pilot received medical attention after ejecting, and US military authorities confirmed that an investigation had been launched. The aircraft belonged to the US Air Force’s 52nd Fighter Wing.

The accident occurred at around 2:30 p.m. local time as the aircraft was returning from a training flight. According to information from German air traffic control cited by the New York Post, four F-16s were involved in the exercise. One crashed on approach to Spangdahlem, while the remaining three were diverted to Ramstein Air Base.

Emergency services responded to the crash site, where a fire broke out following the impact, producing thick black smoke. Aviation news outlet The Aviationist reported that the aircraft came down on the base’s golf course, beneath the approach to Runway 04. Firefighters extinguished the blaze, while footage of smoke rising above the base soon appeared on social media.

The US military confirmed that the pilot had successfully ejected and was receiving medical care. The available statement provided no details about the pilot’s injuries or an established cause of the crash. The circumstances remain under investigation.

Located in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Spangdahlem is an important US military air base in Europe. It hosts the 480th Fighter Squadron, part of the 52nd Fighter Wing, whose F-16s specialise in suppression of enemy air defences, commonly known as SEAD.

This was the second US F-16 crash in five days. An aircraft belonging to the Texas Air National Guard’s 149th Fighter Wing crashed during a training flight in Michigan on September 17, with its pilot also ejecting successfully. Both accidents remain under investigation, and no confirmed information currently links the two.