Va. Guard assists search effort after F-15C crash - Aug. 27, 2014

Virginia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen join a multi-agency search effort after a Massachusetts National Guard F-15c crashed Aug. 27, 2014, in Augusta County, Va. Virginia Army National Guard aviators assisted with aerial search and rescue efforts with Lakota and Black Hawk helicopters, Soldiers and Airmen from the Fort Pickett-based 34th Civil Support Team provided communications and incident management assistance and additional Guard personnel coordinated the overall aviation operation. Approximately 100 personnel from the Va. Guard, Virginia State Police, Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Augusta County Sheriff's Office, Augusta County Fire and Rescue, Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries, FBI and the U.S. Forest Service took part in the operation. As of late Wednesday evening, the status of the pilot was not confirmed and the search effort was scheduled to continue through the night. The 104th Fighter Wing lost radio contact at 9:05 a.m. Aug. 27 with an F-15C aircraft during a cross country mission over the Shenandoah Valley Virginia. The pilot flying the F-15C made a report of an inflight emergency prior to radio contact being lost. The F-15C aircraft was in route to receive a system upgrade, and there were no munitions on the aircraft during this cross-country trip.