Search resumes for fighter pilots feared dead in mid-air crash

A huge search was due to resume at first light today for two United States fighter pilots feared killed in a mid-air collision in the Scottish Highlands.

They were in two US Air Force F-15Cs, based at Lakenheath in Suffolk, which were believed to have crashed in the Cairngorm Mountains after touching each other in mid-air during a routine training flight.

A major search involving up to 250 RAF, police and civilian personnel was stood down late last night as conditions worsened.

Three RAF mountain rescue teams Kinloss, Leuchars and Leeming, along with members of civilian rescue teams were ready to continue the search for the aircraft and their two pilots in the area between Ben Macdui and Cairngorm.

RAF and USAF helicopters may be deployed along with RAF Nimrods, depending on weather conditions, according to the RAF.

The fighter aircraft had disappeared shortly after starting to make a routine air traffic call to RAF Leuchars and RAF Lossiemouth.

The single-seater aircraft had taken off at 12.30pm for what should have been a three-hour training sortie.

The broken air traffic transmission came at 1.15pm. The pilots did not complete the transmission and then disappeared almost immediately from radar screens.

A member of the public later reported hearing a loud explosion at about that time.

There was little geographical information as to where the planes may have come down, making the search difficult.

The Pentagon said a communications search was carried out, and the two planes, still technically ‘‘overdue’’, would not be listed as missing until that was completed.