An F-16 fighter plane belonging to the Belgian military crashed and burned near the Dutch border Thursday after colliding with birds, the country's defence ministry said.
"The pilot is safe and well," a ministry spokesman told AFP.
A local police spokesman added that "no-one was injured and there is no material damage" beyond the plane, which national news agency Belga said burst into flames after missing a military runway at Kleine Brogel, near eastern Peer, the pilot having ejected before impact.
F-16s would be worth scores of millions of dollars depending on age and specifications.