BREAKING NEWS: Pilot Dead as F-18 Military Plane Crashes After Take-off

Spain plane crash: The Air Force jet went down near Madrid 

An F18 fighter jet crashed on takeoff at a military base near Madrid on Tuesday, killing the pilot - the second time a military plane has come down in Spain in a week, The Telegraph reports.

"The pilot of the airplane has died as a consequence of the accident, which happened during take-off," the Spanish defence ministry said in a tweet following the crash near the Torrejon de Ardoz base, around 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Madrid.

"Rescue teams are on their way to the scene of the accident," a ministry spokesman told AFP, adding that the cause of the crash was as yet unknown.

Plumes of smoke from the plane crash near Madrid airbase Torrejon de Ardoz 

The accident came just days after the pilot of a Eurofighter jet was killed Thursday on the approach to landing at a military base at Albacete, 300 kilometres southeast of the capital.

The jet had been taking part in a military display for Spain's national day.