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"Two crew members ejected from their US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle when the aircraft experienced equipment malfunction over northeast Libya, March 21, 2011 at approximately 10:30 pm CET (2130 GMT)," the command, based in the western German city of Stuttgart, said in a statement.
"Both crew members ejected and are safe... The cause of the incident is under investigation."
A command spokeswoman, Nicole Dalrymple, told AFP the crew had sustained minor injuries and that one had been recovered while an operation to pick up the second was ongoing.
She said the crash was not a result of hostile action and an investigation to determine the cause of the malfunction was underway.
The aircraft, based out of Lakenheath, England, was flying out of Aviano air base in northeastern Italy.
A US military official told AFP that one of the crew members was recovered by an Osprey, a hybrid aircraft which is both a transport plane and also has vertical take-off and landing capability like a helicopter. It had taken off from the USS Kearsarge amphibious assault ship off the coast of Libya.
The other crew member was with rebel forces and was "in good hands," the official said.
Western forces pounded strongholds of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi for a third night under a UN Security Council resolution authorising all necessary means to stop Kadhafi's forces harming civilians as they battle a rebellion.
Coalition officials expressed satisfaction with progress in degrading Kadhafi's air defences.
A senior US general said the strikes begun on Saturday night could diminish but the UN-mandated no-fly zone would be extended to the whole country.
Sources: http://www.africasia.com
