Pilot killed after two Eurofighter jets collide in mid-air and crash in Germany

A second pilot managed to parachute to safety before the German air force planes crashed near the Laage military base.

Monday 24 June 2019 20:47, UK

NOSSENTIN, GERMANY - JUNE 24: Emergency crews and vehicles stand near the crash site of one of two Bundeswehr Eurofighter fighter jets on June 24, 2019 near Nossentin, Germany. Two Eurofighters collided during training earlier today, leaving one pilot dead. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Image: Both pilots had ejected from their aircraft but only one survived
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A pilot has been killed after two Eurofighter warplanes collided in mid-air and crashed in Germany.

A second pilot managed to parachute to safety before the German air force jets crashed near the Laage military base in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on Monday.

Both pilots had ejected from their aircraft, according to a third pilot who witnessed the accident.

MUNSTER, GERMANY - MAY 20: Two Eurofighters fighting jets during a presentation of capabilities by the unit on May 20, 2019 in Munster, Germany. The brigade is the core of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), which is a NATO rapid reaction force composed of soldiers from a variety of NATO nations. The German government recently announced it will increase defense spending by EUR 5 billion, the biggest rise since the end of the Cold War. (Photo by Morris MacMatzen/Getty Images)
Image: The mid-air collision involved two Eurofighter jets. File pic

One of the pilots was later rescued from the top of a tree but the other was found dead on the ground.

"This is a sad day for our air force," German defence minister Ursula Von Der Leyen told reporters near the crash site.

"We lost a soldier in a flight accident. Our thoughts are with his family and his comrades."

Ursula von der Leyen, German Defense Minister, informs herself and gives a statement at the site of a crash between two Eurofighter jets of the German Air Force on June 24, 2019 near Nossentiner Huette. - One pilot was killed after two German fighter jets collided and crashed Monday in the north of the country, an airforce spokesman said, with the reason for the accident unclear. (Photo by Jens Büttner / dpa / AFP) / Germany OUT (Photo credit should read JENS BUTTNER/AFP/Getty Images)
Image: Germany's defence minister Ursula Von Der Leyen said it was a 'sad day'

The jets collided about 20 minutes after they took off, the defence minister added.

An armed forces spokesman said it was too early to say anything about the circumstances of the crash, and recovery
teams were searching for the black box flight recorders.

Police helicopter lands in the site where two Eurofighter warplanes crashed in Jabel, Germany, June 24, 2019. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer
Image: A police helicopter lands at the crash site

The crash reportedly happened shortly before 2pm local time (1pm UK time) near Lake Muritz, about 62 miles north of Berlin.

Footage posted online showed two plumes of smoke at separate crash sites, while it was reported there were forest fires on the ground.

NOSSENTIN, GERMANY - JUNE 24: Police walk along the road leading to the crash site of one of two Bundeswehr Eurofighter fighter jets on June 24, 2019 near Nossentin, Germany. Two Eurofighters collided during training earlier today, leaving one pilot dead. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Image: The jets collided about 20 minutes after they took off

Police warned the public not to approach potentially dangerous wreckage from the planes and firefighters were deployed to tackle blazes caused by the crash.

The German air force said the jets were based in Laage, near the Baltic sea port of Rostock, which trains all pilots flying Germany's 140 Eurofighters.

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