Marine pilot from San Diego base is killed in crash in Britain

A Marine pilot was killed Wednesday when an F/A-18C Hornet crashed in a rural area about 70 miles north of London. There were no other casualties.

The plane was in a flight of six aircraft when it crashed in a field near RAF Lakenheath, a Royal Air Force base that hosts U.S. Air Force units that include fighter jets and refuelers. The five other planes diverted safely to RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland.

Civilian witnesses said the pilot was able to eject, but there was no official confirmation.

The single-seat Hornet was assigned to Marine Attack Fighter Squadron 232 at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. The squadron, considered the oldest and most decorated fighter squadron in the Marine Corps, is part of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

The crash occurred about 5:30 a.m., minutes after takeoff from Lakenheath.

The pilot was identified as Major Taj Sareen, 34, of Hillsborough, Calif. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2010.

The squadron, dubbed the Red Devils, has been deployed in the last six-months to Iraq and Syria to provide close air support for U.S. allies in the fight against Islamic State.

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Karen Miles-Holdaway, 48, told the Cambridge News that she was working in her garden when the plane flew over “much lower that they usually fly.” She said the pilot appeared to be trying to avoid houses.

“He took the plane away from the houses, which was brilliant,” Miles-Holdaway said. “We are just very grateful to him.”

The region has seen two other U.S. aircraft crashes in recent years. A year ago, an Air Force F-15 crashed in a field near a school. The pilot ejected safely.

In January 2014, four U.S. Air Force personnel were killed when the helicopter they were in hit a flock of geese and crashed.

Matthew Barzun, U.S. ambassador to Britain, posted a tweet with his regrets at the F/A-18C crash: “The loss in Cambridgeshire today is terrible news, my thoughts & prayers are with all involved.”

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