Copenhagen:
A Danish F-16 fighter jet crashed Tuesday off southwestern Denmark into the North Sea after faulty landing gear prompted the pilot to parachute to safety, Defence Command Denmark said.
"The pilot ... was subsequently picked up by one of the Air Force's rescue helicopters," it said in a statement.
"The pilot is doing well and his family has been informed," it added.
The agency's accident investigation board was looking into the incident, according to the head of the Fighter Wing Skrydstrup airbase in southwestern Denmark, Anders Rex.
"Our pilots are trained for this, but it's a violent experience and he will get all the support he needs," Rex said in a statement.
Denmark took delivery of its first F-16 in 1980 and currently has around 30 in operation. A decision on their replacement is expected to be taken within the next few months.
Rex said he did not think the F-16 fleet's age had anything to do with the incident.
"I don't see any connection. The aircraft are old, but we have seen this error before," he told broadcaster TV 2.