The pilot of a U.S. Marine F/A-18 Hornet that crashed off the coast of Japan Wednesday did not survive the crash, the Marine Corps announced Thursday.
The pilot was reported to have ejected from the plane as it was going down over water about 120 miles southeast of the Japanese city of Iwakuni, but when he was located by search teams he was not alive.
The Marine Corps has identified the pilot as Capt. Jake Frederick.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense confirmed to local media Thursday that a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force ship recovered Frederick’s body.
The cause of the crash is still undetermined.
