An American U-2 spy plane crashed killing the pilot after a mission in support of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

A Pentagon official said the aircraft crashed in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday while approaching the base to land.

He noted early reports gave no indication of any hostile fire, but it was too soon to be certain why it crashed.

The US military did not immediately release the location or circumstances of the crash because it did not want to create problems for the United Arab Emirates. Officials also withheld the name of the pilot pending notification of relatives.

Lieutenant Colonel Barry Venable said in Washington the plane had completed a mission related to Operation Enduring Freedom, the code name for American operations in Afghanistan.

The U-2 is a single-seat, single-engine reconnaissance plane that operates at an altitude of more than 70,000 feet. It has been used in every major conflict the United States has fought since the aircraft went into service a half-century ago.

Flying beyond the range of most surface-to-air missiles, the pilot must wear a full pressure suit similar to those used by astronauts.

With its bicycle-type landing gear and the challenges of handling the aircraft at low altitudes, the U-2 requires a high degree of precision during landing.

(Photo Source: AP)