Military plane crashes at Nato air base in Germany

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 10:26 EDT, 22 September 2026 | Updated: 10:48 EDT, 22 September 2026 A military plane has today crashed at a Nato base in Germany. Officials said the plane crashed this afternoon at the Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany and that an emergency response was launched. They added that one person was injured in the incident. Local media has reported that the plane was an American F-16 fighter jet. Trierischer Volksfreund reported that the fighter plane was on approach to the airfield at the time of the incident. It added that the plane's pilot was able to eject safely, but sustained injuries.The crash occurred near a local golf course and not far from the B50 federal highway Birthe Thomsen, the mayor of nearby town Speicher, told local media she saw a jet rapidly losing altitude before smoke began to rise. Upon seeing this, she called emergency services. Other residents also reported a visible column of smoke that appeared to be coming from the Nato base. Officials said the plane crashed this afternoon at the Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany and that an emergency response was launched (File image)The cause of the crash is not currently known. The airbase is located near the town of Spangdahlem, which sits in the Bitburg-Prüm district of the Eifel region of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is home to a squadron of around 20 American F-16s. The squadron, which supports US Air Force and Nato missions worldwide, is the centrepiece of the airbase. The base has about 5,000 military and civilian employees, plus their family members, according to the latest figures. The US airbase also employs between 700 and 800 Germans. If confirmed, this wouldn't be the first time an F-16 jet has crashed at Spangdahlem. In October 2019, a pilot was forced to eject after another of the fighter jet crashed near the town. They sustained minor injuries in that instance, but survived the crash. The US Air Force has maintained a military presence in the town since the 1950s. Along with Ramstein near Kaiserslautern in the Palatinate region, Spangdahlem is considered among the most important US airfields.The Daily Mail has contacted Spangdahlem Air Base and the US Department of War for comment. More to follow.