Photos show massive sea search operation after Flamborough Head plane crash

Photos have emerged of a major search operation in the North Sea yesterday as rescuers battled to find a missing pilot..
The RNLI lifeboat arrives back at Scarborough after 12 hours at sea (pic: Erik Woolcott)The RNLI lifeboat arrives back at Scarborough after 12 hours at sea (pic: Erik Woolcott)
The RNLI lifeboat arrives back at Scarborough after 12 hours at sea (pic: Erik Woolcott)

A number of vessels in the area answered a Mayday call to proceed to the site of a military plane crash 74 miles off Flamborough Head on Monday morning.

A United States Air Force pilot was missing after his F-15 C Eagle fighter plane had ditched into the sea while flying in formation with three others out of RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk.

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The man, First Lieutenant Kenneth Allen, from Utah, of 48th Fighter Wing, was found dead later the same day and wreckage has been recovered.

Pictured are the USAF Osprey, Sentinel Marine's offshore support vessel Cygnus Sentinel and Grimsby-based supply vessel Edda Mistral (photo: John Huntley)Pictured are the USAF Osprey, Sentinel Marine's offshore support vessel Cygnus Sentinel and Grimsby-based supply vessel Edda Mistral (photo: John Huntley)
Pictured are the USAF Osprey, Sentinel Marine's offshore support vessel Cygnus Sentinel and Grimsby-based supply vessel Edda Mistral (photo: John Huntley)

When the alarm was raised, the Humber Coastguard and RNLI lifeboat crews from Scarborough, Whitby and Bridlington all headed to the scene. They were joined by Aberdeen-based Sentinel Marine's offshore support vessel Cygnus Marine and the supply vessel Edda Mistral, whose home port is Grimsby.

Several military aircraft were also sent, including a United States Air Force Osprey from RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk.

A crew member aboard an offshore support vessel called to assist with the operation took these images of the Osprey, which has the hover functionality of a helicopter but the range and high-speed cruise performance of a turboprop aircraft.

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The RNLI have now confirmed that their Scarborough volunteers spent 12 hours at sea during the rescue mission.

The search took several hours before it was called off when the pilot's body was recoveredThe search took several hours before it was called off when the pilot's body was recovered
The search took several hours before it was called off when the pilot's body was recovered

A statement from the RNLI read: "HM Coastguard tasked Scarborough and Bridlington RNLI to join the search operation just before 10am. Volunteer crews at both stations launched their Shannon all-weather lifeboats within minutes. Co-ordinated by the Coastguard, they joined military aircraft, the Coastguard helicopter and various other vessels in the search.

"Sea conditions were calm but the operation was made more difficult by low cloud cover and fog. At 6.20pm on Monday, a spokesperson from 48th Fighter Wing confirmed the pilot as being deceased. Both lifeboats returned to their stations and were made ready for service by 10pm, after some 12 hours at sea."

Scarborough lifeboat coxswain Lee Marton added: “The crews and other volunteers of RNLI Bridlington and Scarborough would like to offer their deepest sympathies to the family of the pilot and to all at 48th Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath.

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“Our Shannon lifeboats have a range of some 250 nautical miles and are perfectly suited to this kind of task, but any 12-hour operation takes its toll on the crews, especially when there is such a sad outcome. I’d like to thank both volunteer crews and all parties involved in the search for their cooperation and professionalism during this major operation in what were very challenging conditions.”