by Maria Spiliopoulou
ATHENS, April 12 (Xinhua) -- A Greek Air Force fighter crashed on Thursday off the coast of Skyros island in the Aegean Sea, Greek national news agency AMNA reported.
A search and rescue operation is underway to locate the pilot of the Mirage 2000-5 type aircraft, according to initial information from the defense ministry.
The Hellenic Air Force (HAF) lost contact with the plane about nine miles northeast of Skyros at 12:15 p.m. local time (1015 GMT), according to a laconic HAF press release.
The jet was returning to base after earlier taking part with a second fighter in a mission to intercept Turkish Air Force aircraft in the Aegean, according to sources.
The weather conditions in the area were good when the incident occurred and the pilot was experienced, according to the same sources.
