An F-16 fighter jet assigned to the US air base Spangdahlem in western Germany crashed on Tuesday, the US military said, adding that one pilot had ejected safely and was receiving medical treatment.
The cause of the incident is under investigation, the military said in a statement, with emergency response personnel at the scene of the crash.
Germany's air traffic control authority, in a separate statement, said a total of four F-16s had been taking part in a training exercise.
"Two were still in the training area, while two were returning to Spangdahlem Air Base. One of these two jets is believed to have crashed while on approach," it said, adding the remaining F-16s had landed at the US Air Force base in Ramstein.
Emergency crews and firefighters responded to the scene.
NEXTA TV reported, citing preliminary information, that the jet crashed while approaching the base for landing after a training flight, coming down near a golf course and the B50 road.
Witnesses reported seeing a thick column of black smoke rising over the area, while the mayor of nearby Speicher said she saw a jet rapidly losing altitude before smoke appeared. BILD had earlier reported that two aircraft took off before the crash and that the pilot appeared to have ejected safely.
This is a developing story.