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US F-15 pilot ‘still missing’ after North Sea crash

The aircraft, from 48th Fighter Wing based at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, crashed at around 09:30 on Monday morning.

A US F-15C Eagle fighter jet pilot “is still missing” after a crash during a routine training mission over the North Sea.

RAF Lakenheath tweetThe aircraft, from 48th Fighter Wing based at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, crashed at around 09:30 on Monday morning with one pilot on board. Colonel Will Marshall, Commander of the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath, said the cause of the crash remains “unknown”, with a search and rescue mission underway. “The pilot of the aircraft is still missing,” he said. “We will provide updates as they become available.”

HM Coastguard said it is coordinating the response after receiving reports that an aircraft had crashed 74 nautical miles off Flamborough Head on the East Yorkshire coast. A Coastguard helicopter from the Humberside area has been sent to the scene, along with RNLI lifeboats from Bridlington and Scarborough. Other vessels nearby are also heading to the area following a Mayday broadcast, the Coastguard said.

KC-135 aircraft from RAF Mildenhall are among those taking part in search and rescue operations. At just after 8am this morning, RAF Lakenheath posted an image of three aircraft on the base’s official Twitter account. The F-15C, a single-seater air defence fighter, is a model of jet that has been used by the US Air Force since 1979. RAF spokesman Martin Tinworth said the aircraft has an “exceptional flight safety record”. RAF Lakenheath is the largest US Air Force-operated base in England and the only US air forces in Europe F15 fighter wing. The 48th Fighter Wing, which has operated from the base since 1960, has more than 4,500 active-duty military members.

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