WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — A witness said the crash was in a rice field approximately 100 feet above the ground, according to media reports.
“The Berkeley County Fire Department says two planes have crash-landed near Old Highway 52 at Lewisfield Plantation,” NBC WYFF Channel 4 Greenville reported.
“A Shaw Air Force Base F-16C Fighting Falcon crashed today near Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, at 11:30 a.m. (4:30 p.m. GMT)” the statement read. “Our thoughts are with the friends and family of anyone aboard the civilian aircraft,” the US Air Force said in a statement.
According to local media reports, the fire department added that a pilot ejected from the F-16 and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is searching for him. The investigation into the planes collision is ongoing, local media reports.
The Federal Aviation Authority, however, put the time of the collision at 11.03 a.m. (4:03 p.m. GMT).
The number of people killed on board the Cessna was not initially known.
The Air Force said the pilot on board the fighter jet had ejected safely and been recovered.
The F-16 is one of the oldest and regularly used combat aircraft in the US Air Force.
It became operational in 1978 and is still flown many air forces around the world, including Israel, Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt.
