Spanish Air Force Pilot Dies After Plane Crashes Into Sea

Library image of a CASA C-101 aircraft - the variant which the pilot was flying (Picture: Wikimedia Commons).

A Spanish air force pilot has died after his military aircraft crashed into the sea off a beach in southeastern Spain.

A defence ministry statement said a body found in the water is believed to be the pilot's, although final forensic confirmation is pending.

In an earlier statement, the ministry had said the pilot managed to eject before his single-seater light attack aircraft crashed.

The Spanish-built C-101 crashed around 9.40am on Monday during a training flight.

The ministry gave no further details regarding the pilot or the accident.

Videos on Spanish National Television showed a plane nose-diving into the sea some distance from a beach in the Manga de Mar Menor tourist area.

Emergency services dispatched rescue vessels to search for the airman.