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Saudi pilot dies in Spanish military crash

By the CNN Wire Staff
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • The Saudi army lieutenant colonel was on a training flight near Seville
  • He was training on the Eurofighter Typhoon, which crashed after takeoff
  • His Spanish co-pilot ejected before the crash and survived

Madrid, Spain (CNN) -- A Saudi army lieutenant colonel died Tuesday during a training flight at a Spanish air base, the Spanish Defence Ministry said.

The incident happened around 9:30 a.m. (3:30 a.m. ET) during a training flight aboard a Eurofighter Typhoon jet. A few minutes after takeoff, the plane hit the ground for unknown reasons, the Defense Ministry said.

A Spanish pilot who was also on board ejected before the plane hit the ground, the ministry said.

A special committee has been sent to the Moron Air Base in Seville to investigate, the Defense Ministry said.

The Saudi pilot was at Moron to sign an agreement on Spanish-Saudi cooperation, which includes training for Saudi pilots on the Eurofighter, the ministry said.

Saudi Arabia is one of the customers for the Eurofighter, which is manufactured by an international consortium of Britain's BAE Systems, the German and Spanish arms of EADS, and Italy's Alenia Aeronautica.

CNN's Claudia Rebaza in London, England, contributed to this report.