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Pilot dies in F18 military plane crash near Madrid

AFP/The Local
AFP/The Local - [email protected]
Pilot dies in F18 military plane crash near Madrid
File photo of an F18 jet not related to the story. Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images North America/AFP

An F18 fighter jet crashed on takeoff at a military base near Madrid on Tuesday, killing the pilot -- the second time a military plane has come down in Spain in a week.

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"The pilot of the airplane has died as a consequence of the accident, which happened during take-off," the Spanish defence ministry said in a tweet following the crash near the Torrejon de Ardoz base, around 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Madrid.

The crash was due to a loss of power, the defence ministry said.

Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido named the pilot as 26-year-old Fernando Pérez Serrano.

The accident came just days after the pilot of a Eurofighter jet was killed Thursday on the approach to landing at a military base at Albacete, 300 kilometres southeast of the capital.

The jet had been taking part in a military display for Spain's national day.

READ ALSO: Spanish pilot dies in crash following National Day display

Two other Eurofighter jets crashed in Spain in 2010 and 2014, both times killing the pilot.

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