A Romanian fighter jet crashed Monday, killing both pilots onboard, the defence ministry said in Bucharest, DPA reported.
The Soviet-era MiG-21 crashed on its landing approach at Campia Turzii in central Romania. The cause of the crash was being investigated.
Romania joined NATO in 2004, but still operates a fleet of ageing MiG-21 jets, which are due for decommissioning in 2013.
Bucharest had intended to buy 24 second-hand F-16 fighter jets from the US to modernize its fleet, but abandoned the plan because due to the current recession.