An experienced U.S. Air National Guard pilot is missing after his F-15C crashed in western Virginia on Wednesday morning.

The identity of the pilot has not been publicized, but the Air National Guard said the pilot has years of flying experience.

The jet departed Barnes Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts and was flying to Orleans for maintenance. Colonel James Keefe told Stars and Stripes that a new radar was to be installed in the jet after it arrived at the base.

At around 9:00 a.m as the jet passed over the George Washington National Forest in western Virginia, the pilot sent out a distress call, but air traffic controllers in Washington D.C. soon lost contact with the aircraft.

Rescuers located the crash site in the forest from the thick, black plumes of smoke from the wreckage. The impact created a huge crater in the site, with debris spreading to a large area.

Helicopters were dispatched to search for the missing pilot. Witnesses reported seeing an ejection chute, but the pilot’s commander has so far refused to verify any reported sightings.

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