1 dead after U-2 spy plane crashes in Sutter County

YUBA CITY, Calif. (AP) — The U.S. Air Force says one pilot was killed and another injured when they ejected from a U-2 spy plane shortly before it crashed in Northern California.

Military officials say the aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from Beale Air Force Base on a training mission around 9 a.m. Tuesday.

The Air Force did not release the pilots' names or any information about the condition of the surviving airman.

The aircraft was assigned to the 1st Reconnaissance squadron. It crashed in the Sutter Buttes, a mountain range about 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of Sacramento.

The U-2 is a surveillance and reconnaissance pane capable of flying at extremely high altitudes. It gathers imagery and electronic signals for intelligence analysts and battlefield commanders.