US pilot killed in France crash

There were fears the jet's munitions could spread radiation

The pilot of a US military plane on a training exercise has been killed after it crashed into a forest in eastern France.

The A-10 anti-tank plane is thought to have burst into flames shortly after hitting the ground in the Vosges mountains region near the town of Domptail.

No casualties were reported on the ground, but the plane, which was carrying a large amount of kerosene, disintegrated across a wide area of forest and started a large fire, Reuters news agency reported.

The low-flying plane had begun its exercise from the Spangdahlem air force base in southwestern Germany before crashing in France at 1445 (1245 GMT).

Investigation

A spokesman for the US Air Force at the German base, Major Scott Vadnais, said that it had been a "US-only" training mission.

"Two US airplanes left the base but only one returned," he told Reuters.

The pilot was from the 81st Fighter Squadron, and his name is being withheld until his family is notified.

The US Air Force said in a statement that a board of officers plans to investigate the cause of the accident, which so far remains unknown.

Precautions

The French Air Force said the jet, capable of carrying several 225-kilogram (500 lbs) bombs at a time during battle, was carrying only training weapons and not live munitions, French news agency AFP reported.

French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie also said that the inert shells on the plane did not contain depleted uranium, a radiation-risk substance sometimes used for armour-piercing weapons.

"We have taken a number of precautionary measures and also alerted the army's radiological services in case any action is necessary," she said in an interview with local French radio.

The A-10 was frequently used by the US during the Gulf War and throughout Nato's mission in Kosovo because of its ability to fly towards targets and attack them low to the ground.