US fighter plane crashes off English coast, pilot missing

A United States fighter plane crashed off the coast of northeast England yesterday, sparking a search and rescue operation for the pilot in the North Sea.

The US Air Force said the F-15C Eagle from the 48th Fighter Wing crashed at 9:40am local time.

“At the time of the accident, the aircraft was on a routine training mission with one pilot on board,” an Air Force official said. “The cause of the crash as well as the status of the pilot are unknown at this time and UK Search and Rescue have been called to support.”

The aircraft was from RAF Lakenheath, the largest US Air Force-operated base in England and the only US Air Force F-15 fighter wing in Europe.

It is located about 40 kilometers northeast of the city of Cambridge.

In 2014, a US military helicopter crashed on the coast of eastern England killing all four crew on board.