Pilot was killed in Virginia F-15 crash

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,’ according to AP.