Fighter plane crashes off UK coast

The UK Coast guard launched a search and rescue operation yesterday to find the pilot of a US fighter jet that crashed during a routine training mission in the North Sea.

The US Air Force said the F-15C Eagle went down after taking off from the Royal Air Force Lakenheath base near the town of Mildenhall in eastern England.

The base is home to the 48th Fighter Wing, which has operated from there since 1960 and has more than 4,500 active-duty military members.

"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 US Air Force said.

It added that the plane went down 74 nautical miles off the East Yorkshire coast.

In October 2015, a US F-18 fighter jet crashed near the town of Ely, in eastern England, killing the pilot, after taking off from Lakenheath.