SEOUL, Jan. 31 (Yonhap) – A U.S. F-16 fighter jet crashed in waters off South Korea’s west coast on Wednesday and the pilot was rescued after ejecting from the aircraft, the U.S. Air Force said.

The jet assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing in Kunsan Air Base, about 180 kilometers south of Seoul, experienced an “in-flight emergency” over the Yellow Sea and crashed at approximately 8:41 a.m., 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs said in a release.

The pilot ejected safely from the aircraft and was recovered at around 9:30 a.m. through joint rescue efforts by South Korea and U.S. officials.

The U.S. military said the pilot is in stable condition and an investigation is currently under way to figure out the cause of the incident.