US Air Force jet crashes in North Sea; pilot missing

Rescuers have found the wreckage of a U.S. Air Force fighter jet that crashed Monday into the North Sea on Monday, officials said. The pilot remains missing.

The F-15C Eagle from the 48th Fighter Wing was on a routine training mission from RAF Lakenheath when it crashed at 9:40 a.m. The cause of the crash wasn't immediately clear.

Britain's coast guard located wreckage from the downed fighter, and recovery efforts were underway, the U.S. Air Force said in a statement.

"The pilot is still missing, and search and rescue efforts continue," the statement added.

Coast guard officials said in a statement that they received reports the plane went down 74 nautical miles off Flamborough Head on the Yorkshire coast.

A helicopter and lifeboats have been deployed.

"Other vessels nearby are heading to the area," the coast guard said in a statement.

Lakenheath is a Royal Air Force base that hosts the U.S. Air Force's 48th Fighter Wing, known as the Liberty Wing. The base is about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of London.

The wing has more than 4,500 active-duty military members.