One man was killed and another injured when an F-5 fighter of the Spanish airforce suffered an accident at Talavera la Real airfield in the south western city of Badajoz.

The man who died was an instructor, Angel Alvarez Raigada, while the trainee pilot was able to eject from the plane.

The Spanish Ministry of Defense reported that the accident occurred as a result of the failure of the left engine in the two-engine craft shortly after take-off.

Following the incident, the airport has been closed to air traffic leading to the suspension of two flights scheduled for Madrid and Barcelona.

The Northrop F-5 is lightweight jet fighter which came into operation in the 1960s. They produced in their hundreds to be used as a low-cost supersonic fighter by allies of the United States.

Although now obsolete for combat, its ease of maintenance and supersonic capability means it is still used by airforces around the world with the Spanish airforce using a two-seat F-5B M version for that function.