US jet missing off Italy

Single pilot's condition not known

Author: By CNN Staff
Published On: Jan 30 2013 04:02:42 PM CST   Updated On: Jan 29 2013 03:34:10 PM CST
F-16 at airshow
(CNN) -

Rescuers were searching for the pilot of a U.S. fighter jet missing over the Adriatic Sea on Monday, the U.S. military announced.

Controllers lost contact with the F-16 around 8 p.m. Monday (2 p.m. ET) while the jet was on a training flight, the U.S. Air Force reported. The single pilot's condition was not immediately known, the service said.

The jet was based at Aviano Air Base, a key NATO installation in northern Italy.