Military: Pilot Killed In F-15 Crash Was Veteran, Experienced Flyer

The pilot killed while flying a fighter jet in the mountains of western Virginia this week was reportedly a decorated combat veteran with over a decade of flying experience, military officials said Friday.

Lt. Col. Morris "Moose" Fontenot Jr., the pilot killed in Wednesday's crash, was reportedly a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard and had 17 years of experience flying F-15 fighter jets, the jet that he was killed in on Wednesday. Fontenot often took the jets out because he was the inspector general and instructor for the National Guard's 104th Fighter Wing.

"On behalf of the family of our fallen pilot and with a sense of profound sadness, I am sad to share that Lt. Col. Morris "Moose" Fontenot Jr., was killed tragically in Wednesday's F-15 crash," Col. James Keefe, 104th Fighter Wing Commander, said in a statement Friday. "We all continue to keep the Fontenot family in our thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time."

According to the Associated Press, causes for a fighter jet crashing include a failed support system for the jet or pilot error.

The local sheriff's office of Augusta County in western Virginia reported Wednesday that a loud explosion and a dark plume of smoke were seen rising over the rural area of Elliot's Knob in Deerfield at around 9:00 a.m. First responders on the scene reported finding debris but no sign of survivors in the mountainous area where the jet crashed.

"I'm on location, with smoke, and we do have debris," one first responder told the local sheriff's office over dispatch. "I got debris everywhere […] I haven't located anybody."

After two days of searching, investigators reportedly discovered the pilot's body nearby in a heavily wooded area that was difficult to reach. Authorities then indicated that Fontenot had not safely ejected from his plane.