One dead in aircraft crash believed to be USAF jet

One person was killed on Wednesday when a military aircraft, believed to be a fighter jet, crashed on farmland after taking off from a U.S. Air Force (USAF) base in eastern England. "A military aircraft which had taken off from RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk came down at about 10.30 a.m. (0930 GMT)," a police spokeswoman said. "We can confirm one fatality and believe there was just one person on board the aircraft." The crash occurred in Redmere near Ely, a rural area about 70 miles (110 km) north of London. "We are hearing reports and we are awaiting further information about it," said a spokeswoman for RAF Lakenheath, where the USAF's 48th Fighter Wing is based, in response to accounts that a U.S. F/A-18 fighter jet had crashed. She said another U.S. base, RAF Mildenhall, was dealing with media inquiries. A spokesman for Mildenhall had no immediate comment. Last year, four crew on board a U.S. Pave Hawk helicopter based at Lakenheath were killed when their aircraft crashed during a training exercise in a rural area on the north Norfolk coast.