U.S. jet crashes near Okinawa, Japan

A U.S. F-15 fighter jet crashed near Okinawa Tuesday morning, but U.S. military officials said the pilot managed to eject safely from the plane.

The jet went down about 44 miles east of Ikeijima island, part of the Okinawa island chain, during a routine training mission, according to Noriaki Hatake, an official at the Naha Defense Facilities Administration in Okinawa.

The cause of the crash was unknown. The pilot ejected from the plane and was rescued.