Pilot dies in German military helicopter crash

A German army pilot has died and another pilot is in hospital after a military helicopter crashed in the country's north.

Emergency vehicles and a Bundeswehr helicopter stand near a crash site on a field. Source: DPA

A army helicopter has crashed in northern Germany, killing one pilot and injuring another.

German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen says the pilot who survived the crash is being treated in hospital.

"The cause of the crash is so far completely unclear," von der Leyen told reporters on Monday, adding that the military would investigate the incident thoroughly.

"This is a tragic moment for us."

Firefighters walk along a path to the crash site of a German Armed forces helicopter. Source: DPA

Both pilots had undergone comprehensive training to fly the Eurocopter EC135 and had each completed 450 flight hours and were training as flight instructors, she said.

The incident comes a week after one pilot was killed when two unarmed German Eurofighter jets collided over northeast Germany.