British coastguards have located the wreckage of a US fighter plane that crashed into the North Sea and the pilot has been found dead.

The F-15C Eagle from the 48th Fighter Wing, which was on a routine training mission, crashed off the coast of northeast England around 9.40am local time on Monday. Only the pilot was on board.

“It is with a very heavy heart that I can confirm the pilot of the downed F-15 Sea Eagle has been located and confirmed deceased,” Colonel Will Marshall said.

“This is a tragic loss.”

The US Air Force had earlier said the pilot was missing after the aircraft crashed during a “routine training mission”. The cause of the crash was unknown, the force said.

The pilot of the downed F-15C Eagle from the 48th Fighter Wing has been located, and confirmed deceased.

This is a tragic loss for the 48th Fighter Wing community, and our deepest condolences go out to the pilot's family and the 493rd Fighter Squadron.https://t.co/GwCWFwImaS

— RAF Lakenheath (@48FighterWing) June 15, 2020

“The pilot of the downed F-15C Eagle from the 48th Fighter Wing has been located, and confirmed deceased,” , the squadron’s official Twitter feed said.

“This is a tragic loss for the 48th Fighter Wing community, and our deepest condolences go out to the pilot’s family and the 493rd Fighter Squadron.”

A general view shows the entrance of RAF (Royal Air Force) Lakenheath, home of the US Air Force’s 48th Fighter Wing, near the village of Lakenheath, east of England. Photo: Getty

Efforts to recover the wreckage of the jet were continuing.

The aircraft was from RAF Lakenheath, the largest US Air Force-operated base in England and the only US Air Forces in Europe F-15 fighter wing. It is located about 40km northeast of Cambridge.

In 2014, a US military helicopter crashed on the coast of eastern England, killing all four crew on board.