Military: Pilot Killed in Virginia F-15 Crash

DEERFIELD, Va. (AP) — Officials now say the pilot of an F-15 jet that crashed earlier this week in remote Virginia mountains was killed, bringing a sad end to an exhaustive two-day search involving more than 100 local, state and federal officials as well as volunteers.

Col. James Keefe announced the news Thursday at the Massachusetts Air National Guard in Westfield, Massachusetts, home of the 104th Fighter Wing, where the pilot and jet were based.

Brig. Gen. Robert Brooks is Commander of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. He says rescuers found evidence at the crash site Thursday that the pilot did not eject.

The jet crashed in the mountains of western Virginia on Wednesday morning, shaking residents but causing no injuries on the ground.

(Story by: Alan Suderman, The Associated Press)