WORLD : US military says pilot was killed in Virginia F-15 fighter jet crash Investigation into what caused the crash of the single-seat jet is ongoing and will take several weeks, officials said "

The pilot of an F-15 jet that crashed earlier this
week in remote Virginia mountains was killed,
military officials now say, 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.
Keefe said his “thoughts and prayers are with the
family” of the pilot, whose identity wasn’t
disclosed.
“Today was a tough day for the Massachusetts
Air National Guard,” Brig. Gen. Robert Brooks,
Commander of the Massachusetts Air National
Guard, told a news conference in Deerfield.
Brooks said rescuers found evidence at the crash
site Thursday that the pilot did not eject. When
asked for specifics, he said, “We just found
evidence that the ejection seat was with the
aircraft.”
Brooks would not comment on whether the pilot’s
remains had been found, but only said, “We bring
every airman home.”
The investigation into what caused the crash of
the single-seat jet is ongoing and will take
several weeks, Brooks said. He said the pilot’s
family had been informed and his identity would
be made public Friday.
The jet crashed in the mountains of western
Virginia on Wednesday morning, shaking residents
but causing no injuries on the ground.
Investigators said the jet hit the ground at a high
rate of speed, leaving a deep crater and a large
debris field in a heavily wooded area next to a
mountain in the George Washington National
Forest.
Authorities said the pilot was headed to New
Orleans for radar installation as part of routine
maintenance and reported an inflight emergency
before losing radio contact.
Keefe said there were no munitions aboard the jet
at the time of the crash. He said the plane was
flying at about 30,000 to 40,000 feet when the
pilot reported the emergency.
F-15s are maneuverable tactical fighters that can
reach speeds up to 1,875 mph, according to the
Air Force website. The F-15C Eagle entered the
Air Force inventory in 1979 and costs nearly $30
million, the website says. The Air Force has nearly
250 F-15s.
Several F-15s have crashed over the past few
years in various states. In at least one, the pilot
ejected safely. Causes included failure of a
support structure for the jet and pilot error !!!