Pilot of US fighter plane found dead after crash near English coast

Deceased pilot was flying solo on air force training mission in the North Sea

Meanwhile, in Indonesia, the pilot of a British-made Hawk 209 safely ejected after reporting engine problems, and the plane crashed into a residential area

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A US Air Force F-15 fighter jet on a training mission from a British Royal Air Force base in eastern England crashed in the North Sea on June 15, the US Air Force said. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:33pm, 15 Jun 2020Updated: 4:06am, 16 Jun 2020

The pilot of a US fighter plane that crashed into the North Sea off the coast of northeast England on Monday has been found dead, the US air force said in a statement.

“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,” the squadron’s official Twitter feed said.

The F-15C Eagle from the 48th Fighter Wing, which was on a routine training mission, crashed at around 9.40am local time. Only the pilot was on board.

The wreckage was later located by the British coastguard.

The plane took off from the RAF Lakenheath base, near Mildenhall, in Suffolk. Photo: AFP

The plane took off from the RAF Lakenheath base, near Mildenhall, in Suffolk, which hosts the 48th Fighter Wing of the US Air Force. It is located about 40km (25 miles) northeast of Cambridge.

The BBC said the plane was believed to have gone down 74 nautical miles (137km) off the East Yorkshire coast.