DEERFIELD – A Washington, D.C., airport is reporting to police dispatchers that a military jet crashed in the forest near Deerfield this morning.
“I’m on location, with smoke, and we do have debris,” said a breathless responder on emergency radio frequencies at 10:04 a.m. “I got debris everywhere… I haven’t located anybody.”
Virginia State Police confirmed that they were notified at 9:06 a.m. of a plane crash. The crash site appears to be near the side of the mountain.
Other emergency crews were still looking for the possible crash site. It’s near Cold Springs Road, a fire road off Old Parkersburg Turnpike.
State Police is apparently trying to launch a helicopter, probably to look for a survivor.
Neighbors have reported a pillar of smoke in the Elliot’s Knob area, and at least one person said they saw a low-flying jet early this morning in the Staunton area.
Police have just closed Old Parkersburg Turnpike to non-emergency traffic.
The latest reports from police dispatch are that an F-15 fighter jet is missing. They are in contact with an airport in D.C. that lost contact with a military aircraft.
The fumes from the reported crash may be toxic, warn emergency officials.
