A U.S. Air Force pilot is recovering after safely ejecting from an F-16 Fighting Falcon that crashed Tuesday during its return to Spangdahlem Air Base in western Germany.

According to the 52nd Fighter Wing, the incident occurred at approximately 2:30 p.m. local time as the aircraft was returning from a routine training mission involving four F-16 fighter jets. The pilot successfully ejected before the crash and was transported for medical evaluation. Officials have not released details regarding the extent of the pilot's injuries.

The Air Force confirmed that no personnel on the ground were injured.

Emergency responders from the Bitburg-Prüm district, where Spangdahlem Air Base is located, were dispatched to the scene to assist with the response.

The remaining three F-16s participating in the training mission diverted to Ramstein Air Base, where they landed safely without incident.

Military officials have not yet identified the cause of the crash. The 52nd Fighter Wing has opened a formal investigation to determine what led to the accident.

Spangdahlem Air Base is home to the 480th Fighter Squadron, which operates more than two dozen F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft.

Witnesses living near the installation reported seeing a large plume of smoke rising from the base shortly after the crash. German public broadcaster SWR, citing German Air Traffic Control, reported that the aircraft went down following a routine training exercise.

While U.S. military aircraft have recently used Spangdahlem Air Base as a transit point for operations related to the conflict involving Iran, officials said there is no indication that Tuesday's training flight was connected to those missions.

The investigation into the crash remains ongoing.