US F-16 Goes Down Off Italian Coast

via Wikimedia CommonsItalian news wire agency Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata has reported that an American F-16 flying out of Aviano airbase lost radio contact and crashed in the Adriatic.

From the report:

The aircraft, according to reports, was in formation with other airplanes. The plane is officially missing and, for about an hour, are under his research in the first place by the same fighters who were in training with the F-16.

David Cenciotti of The Aviationist is reporting that the F-16 is from the 31st Fighter Wing. The Wing maintains two F-16 fighter squadrons out of Aviano Air Force Base in northeastern Italy.

Officials at Aviano Air Base have released an official statement to Business Insider, saying that they lost contact with a single F-16 at approximately 8pm local time. The aircraft was on a training mission with a single pilot on board.

The condition of the pilot is unknown and search efforts are currently underway.