Investigation of fatal F16 crash begins

AN investigation has been launched into the fatal fighter jet crash at Los Llanos airbase in south-eastern Spain that claimed the lives of 11 military personnel and left scores injured.

Nine French and two Greek people died when the two-seater F16 jet crashed into parked aircraft after losing power on take-off. Around 20 others were injured in the tragic accident.

France’s Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian visited the site of the crash this week and told gathered French military personnel that, “the entire defence community is deeply wounded, as are all our fellow citizens.” French investigators have arrived at the scene and a judge in Valencia has also launched a Spanish investigation into the accident.

The plane’s wreckage along with the black box and recordings of controllers’ conversations are being looked into to determine exactly what went wrong. The F16 fighter jet damaged two Italian planes and three French jets when it crashed on Monday at the Spanish base.

Two Greek pilots and eight French military personnel on the ground died at the scene, with a ninth French victim succumbing to injuries in hospital on Tuesday. Kerosene fuel on board the jets caused a huge fire and firefighting units rushed to the scene to battle the flames.

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