German tornado aircraft crashes

A German Tornado fighter jet crashed late Thursday in an uninhabited area north of Frankfurt while on a training mission, an Air Force spokesman said.The pilot and co-pilot ejected from the jet before the crash. The pilot suffered minor injuries when he landed in a tree and theco-pilot was uninjured.The unarmed jet crashed at 9:20 pm (2020 GMT) near a highway entrance ramp in an uninhabited area south-east of Laubach, a town about 60 kilometres north of Frankfurt. Debris from the crash landed on the highway, which had to be shut down for several hours while it was cleared away, German news agency (DPA) reported. The German military cordoned off the crash site, police said, and soldiers were still searching for parts of the jet.A team of military investigators is at the scene to determine the cause of the crash, the spokesman said. The fighter jet belonged to Air Force tactical squadron 33 stationed at Buechel/Cochem. The jet crashed only a few kilometres from the base.