Body found after US military jet crashes into sea off Yorkshire coast

The body of a pilot has been found after a US fighter jet crashed into the North Sea off the Yorkshire coast.
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The F-15C Eagle fighter jet plummeted around 74 miles off Flamborough Head at around 9.40am this morning (Monday, June 15), sparking a major search and rescue operation.

But this evening Colonel Will Marshall, commander of the 48th Fighter Wing, said ‘with a very heavy heart’ he could confirm the pilot had been ‘located and confirmed deceased’.

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He added: "This is a tragic loss for the 48th Fighter Wing community, and our deepest condolences go out to the pilot's family and the 493rd Fighter Squadron."

According to a statement the aircraft, based at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, had been on a routine training mission with only one pilot on board.

A helicopter along with Bridlington and Scarborough RNLI lifeboats were deployed to the crash site before the wreckage of the aircraft was discovered this afternoon.

The cause of the crash is not yet known and the name of the pilot will not be released until their family has been informed.

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An RAF spokesman said the F15C, a single-seater air defence fighter that has been used by the US Air Force since 1979, has an ‘exceptional flight safety record’.

A US Air Force (USAF) F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet, is pictured as it prepares to land at RAF (Royal Air Force) Lakenheath. The UK Coastguard launched a search and rescue operation Monday to find the pilot of a US fighter jet that crashed during a training mission in the North Sea. (Photo by CHRIS RADBURN / AFP)A US Air Force (USAF) F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet, is pictured as it prepares to land at RAF (Royal Air Force) Lakenheath. The UK Coastguard launched a search and rescue operation Monday to find the pilot of a US fighter jet that crashed during a training mission in the North Sea. (Photo by CHRIS RADBURN / AFP)
A US Air Force (USAF) F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet, is pictured as it prepares to land at RAF (Royal Air Force) Lakenheath. The UK Coastguard launched a search and rescue operation Monday to find the pilot of a US fighter jet that crashed during a training mission in the North Sea. (Photo by CHRIS RADBURN / AFP)

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