The BBC is reporting that an F-15 from the Massachusetts Air National Guard has crashed in Virginia near the town of Deerfield this morning, with no word on the fate of the pilot.

Washington Times says that the crash site has been visually located due to heavy smoke coming off the side of the mountain, but State Police and local search and rescue teams are still attempting to get to the site.  From CBS Boston:

The Air National Guard confirmed that one of its F-15 jets left Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield on a cross country mission but controllers lost radio communication with the single-seat aircraft around 9 a.m. over the Shenandoah Valley.

The pilot reported an “inflight emergency prior to radio contact being lost,” according to Massachusetts Air National Guard spokesman Maj. Matthew Mutti .

Augusta County dispatcher Becky Coynter says witnesses reported an explosion-like noise at that time.

Our hearts and prayer go out to the pilot and his family as we hope for a safe ejection and confirmation that he’s okay.