French pilot killed in crash of Mirage fighter plane

French pilot killed in crash of Mirage fighter plane

A French Mirage 2000 fighter plane crashed into the Mediterranean near the island of Corsica during a training mission Monday, killing the pilot, security officials said.

The Mirage crashed off the coast of Bonifacio, in southern Corsica. The pilot, alone on the craft, was unable to eject and save himself, Corsica's internal security services said. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.

The plane had taken off from a base in Solenzara on the French island. A helicopter was dispatched from the base to fly over the scene of the accident, officials said, reports AP.

In December, a French pilot was forced to eject from his Mirage F1 fighter plane Wednesday during a flight from Africa to France. The pilot landed safely, and the aircraft crashed in an uninhabited area.