Jerusalem, Sep 14 (Xinhua) An Israeli F-16A fighter jet crashed in the West Bank Sunday afternoon, killing a son of late Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon who died in the 2003 Columbia spaceship tragedy, the Israeli army said.

'The aircraft crashed during a routine flight as part of the advanced pilot training course,' said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in a statement, adding that search and rescue teams found debris of the fighter in the hills near the West Bank city of Hebron.

A witness told local TV Channel 10 that a parachute was found in the wreck, indicating that the pilot, identified as Assaf Ramon, had tried to eject from the aircraft. As the protocol for training flights stipulates, the jet was not armed, according to local media.

It is still unclear what caused the crash.