NATO HAS SAID that one of its F-16 fighter-bombers crashed on landing at an air base in southern Italy after completing a mission over Libya.

A statement said that the plane’s pilot had ejected safely after landing on an outbound runway at Sigonella; his condition was “being assessed” it said without elaborating.

The air base at Sigonella, in western Sicily, is about 360 miles north of Tripoli. It has been used extensively by aircraft from several NATO nations for bombing missions over Libya.

Italian police have opened a probe into the crash landing, the statement said.

No NATO aircraft had been lost since the alliance’s missions over Libya began on March 31.

A United States F-15 crashed in Libya before NATO took over command of the strike missions aimed at ousting Muammar Gaddafi from power.

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NATO F-16 bomber crash-lands after Libyan mission

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