An Israeli F-16A fighter jet crashed in the West Bank on Sunday afternoon, killing a son of late Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon who died in the 2003 Columbia spaceship tragedy, said the Israeli army.

"The aircraft crashed during a routine flight as part of the advanced pilot training course," said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in a statement, adding that search and rescue teams found debris of the fighter in the hills near the West Bank city of Hebron.

Israeli soldiers search for the debris of the crashed F-16A plane of Israeli Air Forces in the southern Hebron hills, the West Bank, Sept. 13, 2009. An Israeli fighter pilot was killed in the crash during a routine flight as part of the advanced pilot training course on Sunday afternoon, said the Israeli army. [Xinhua]

A witness told local TV Channel 10 that a parachute was found in the wreck, indicating that the pilot, identified as Assaf Ramon, had tried to eject from the aircraft. As the protocol for training flights stipulates, the jet was not armed, according to local media.

It is still unclear what caused the crash. The army said that an investigative committee has been set up to examine the causes and that all F-16 training flights have been suspended until further notice.

Israeli soldiers search for the debris of the crashed F-16A plane of Israeli Air Forces in the southern Hebron hills, the West Bank, Sept. 13, 2009. [Xinhua]

Assaf Ramon, 21, was the eldest son of Colonel Ilan Ramon, the only Israeli astronaut thus far, who was killed with six other crew members when their space shuttle Columbia disintegrated during re-entry on Feb. 1, 2003.

Following his father's death, Assaf vowed to follow his father's steps and become a pilot and even an astronaut. He excelled in the military training course for pilots, and received his pilot's wings from President Shimon Peres in June. The young pilot reportedly escaped anther plane accident half a year ago during a routine training flight.

(Xinhua News Agency September 14, 2009)