US pilot found dead after F-15 fighter jet crashed into the sea off the UK coast

• A US F-15C fighter jet crashed into the sea off the coast of the UK on Monday morning, according to the 48th Fighter Wing..
• After discovering the wreckage of the fighter aircraft, the 48th Fighter Wing released another update, revealing that the pilot had been found but was deceased.
• The fighter was based out of RAF Lakenheath in the UK and had been flying as part of a routine training mission.

A US fighter jet crashed into the sea off the coast of the UK on Monday, and both the aircraft and the pilot were lost in the crash.

The plane crashed into the North Sea at around 9.40 a.m. local time on Monday, during a training mission that went wrong. Search and rescue operations quickly followed to find the downed aircraft and pilot.

Rescuers later found the wreckage of the F-15, but not the pilot. The pilot was still missing seven hours after the crash.

"It is with a very heavy heart that I confirm that the pilot of the downed F-15C Eagle has been located and confirmed deceased," Col. William L. Marshall, commander of the 48th Fighter Wing said in the latest update on the incident.

The pilot was a member of the US Air Force's 48th Fighter Wing and was based out of the Royal Air Force (RAF) base at Lakenheath, in Suffolk, England. Lakenheath is a major base for US personnel in Britain.

The cause of the crash is unknown, a spokesperson in the earlier statement. The jet was on a routine training mission, reportedly as part of a four-jet formation, when it crashed.

The latest incident follows two crashes at Eglin Air Force Base in May involving an F-22 Raptor and an F-35A Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter, both of which are advanced fifth-generation fighter aircraft.

Update: This post has been updated to include the discovery of the downed aircraft and the pilot, who has been confirmed deceased.