Search for missing pilot continues

by 104th Fighter Wing
104th Fighter Wing

8/28/2014 -  BARNES AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Mass. -- The search for the missing 104th Fighter Wing pilot continues through the night in the Washington National Forest near Deerfield Valley, Virginia.

The Air Force F-15C Eagle aircraft the pilot was flying crashed at approximately 9:30 a.m. Wednesday; radio contact with the pilot was lost about 25 minutes earlier.

As of 11:15 p.m. Wednesday, approximately 10 search-and-rescue teams were on the ground searching along logging roads, fire trails and forest roads. The terrain is too treacherous for off-road ground searches in the dark, according to Corinne Geller, Virginia State Police Public Relations Manager.

As many as four helicopters have been conducting aerial night searches, with additional assets en route.

Throughout the day Wednesday, at least 100 state police, sheriff's deputies and fire and rescue personnel had been on scene, along with up to seven helicopters supporting aerial search missions, said Geller. The Air Force has secured the crash site, she continued.

The search for the missing pilot and the investigation into the crash are ongoing.