OTTAWA, Aug. 26 -- A U.S. pilot has been killed when his MiG-21 aircraft crashed off the British Columbia coast while participating in a Canadian air defense training program. Canadian military spokesman Brig. Gen. Dave Jurkowski told reporters in Ottawa today that Canadian search teams have recovered the remains of the pilot, who went missing on Tuesday.
He said debris from the wreckage of the MiG-21 has also been located off Vancouver Island. The name of the pilot has not been released, and there has been no immediate word on the cause of the crash. The MiG-21 was owned by a U.S. company working on contract for the Canadian forces to support an air defense training program on board the HMCS Algonquin. A Canadian military Sea King helicopter and an Aurora aircraft were involved in the search operation. In another operation this week, Canadian search and rescue teams have been looking for a U.S. Piper L-3 aircraft that disappeared on Tuesday while flying from Anchorage, Alaska, to Whitehorse, in Yukon Territory. Jurkowski says seven planes have been involved in the search, including four Buffalo aircraft, two Labrador helicopters and one Twin Otter. Neither the plane nor the pilot have been found so far. The pilot was the only person on board. ---
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