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US fighter jet crash lands in field near Benghazi
 A US warplane has crash landed in a Libyan field in the area around Benghazi, The Telegraph can disclose.The two crew members on the F-15E fighter jet ejected to safety. One has already been recovered by US forces, who say they are in the process of rescuing the other. It is understood that at least one of the crew members was initially rescued by rebel Libyan soldiers after ejecting from the aircraft. Both crew members suffered minor injuries. The crashed plane was discovered by a Telegraph journalist reporting in and around Benghazi, the rebel-held city. It is thought the F-15E fighter jet came to ground after suffering a mechanical failure. The US military confirmed that one of its jets had crash landed but said that it had not been shot down. Vince Crawley, a spokesman for the US military's Africa Command, said that one crewman had been recovered and one was "in process of recovery". Crawley said the crash occurred "overnight." He declined to give the location of the incident and also would not say how the rescued crewman was picked up. This is the first coalition aircraft to have crash landed during the Libyan conflict following the third night of air strikes. Posted by: Steve White 2011-03-22 |
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