U.S. Air Force pilot survives F-15 crash in England

LONDON, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- A U.S. military aircraft crash landed in a field in eastern England Wednesday. The pilot ejected safely "with only very minor injury," officials noted.

A statement from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, which hosts the U.S. 48th Fighter Wing, confirmed the crash.

"An F-15D from the 48th Fighter Wing at Royal Air Force Lakenheath crashed at approximately at 3:28 p.m. today while conducting a combat training mission.

"One person was on board the aircraft at the time and ejected safely. A board of qualified officers will investigate the accident."

Witnesses described seeing the pilot eject and the plane spin backward before it crashed into a field 400 yards from the Weston Hills Church of England Primary School.

"It was coming down from the sky backwards like it was out of control in a spin," said Shaun Gough, whose daughters attend the nearby primary school.

"There were two aircraft which had been circling around most the afternoon and there was a roar, then silence, which made us look across," he said. "I was watching when it came down back end first, and when you're standing watching it come down close to your daughters' school it's pretty horrendous."

The Lincolnshire Police advised the public to avoid the area.