Just after midnight local time, the jet crashed just east of Benghazi in rebel held territory. The cause of the crash is being investigated.
Vince Crawley, a spokesman for the Africa Command, says both sustained minor injuries and were separated because they used parachutes to eject from the F-15E Strike Eagle jet at high altitudes, ending up in different areas.
One crew member has been recovered and an operation is currently under way to recover the other one — “but we know he’s safe,” said Ken Fidler, another spokesman for Africa Command.
A correspondent for The London Daily Telegraph on the ground in Libya said via Twitter that the plane plowed into a field near opposition stronghold Benghazi in the east of the country late Monday. The crew was in rebel hands, the newspaper reported.
U.S. planes, including F-16s, were involved in a third night of air attacks on Libya on Monday.
Fox News’ Justin Fishel, Newscore and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
