A Massachusetts-based F-15C fighter jet crashed in Augusta County, Virginia on Wednesday.
The crash site was found by authorities through heavy smoke on a mountainside, and the fate of the pilot has yet to be determined, according to the Associated Press. No injuries have been reported at the site.
Augusta County dispatcher Becky Coynter said witnesses reported hearing a noise similar to an explosion before 9 a.m.
"It's the loudest noise I've ever heard," said Rebecca Shinaberry, 63, who lives on a farm about two miles away from the crash site. "(It) just shook the ground, and from my house we could just see a big plume of smoke."
Officials said the pilot reported an in-flight emergency before losing radio contact, WVEC.com reported.
"Information on this incident is developing rapidly and we are not going to speculate on what occurred or the status of the pilot," said Col. James Keefe, 104th Fighter Wing Commander. "We are hopeful that the pilot is ok, and the pilot will be in our thoughts and prayers as the events of this incident unfold."
Viriginia State Police said they were notified of the plane crash at 9:06 a.m.
Maj. Matthew Mutti said the pilot was a member of the 104th Fighter Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard in Westfield, according to the Associated Press. Mutti added that the jet was put on a training exercise to receive a system upgrade and that it had no munition onboard, but he did not reveal where the jet was going, or the name of the pilot.
The Air Force website states that F-15s can reach speeds up to 1,875 miles per hour, and that it was added to the Air Force inventory in 1979. The Air Force currently has close to 250 of the tactical fighters.
