NBC News reports two F-18 fighter jets apparently collided over southern Iraq on Monday:
The officials, who spoke with NBC News on condition of anonymity, said there was "no initial indication that hostile fire" contributed to the loss of the U.S. Marine F/A-18 Hornet aircraft.
The fighter jets, based on the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, were reported missing at 10:10 p.m. local time.
A statement by the military in Iraq said search efforts were under way and that the status of the crew members was unknown.
According to CNN, the Navy believes the jets collided with each other in bad weather during a routine mission.
Thanks to Matt for the tip.
UPDATE: Reuters reports that a U.S. military spokesman said the body of the pilot of one of the Marine F-18 jets has been found, but the second F-18 is still missing:
There were no indications that the plane had come under hostile fire and it was not clear if the two aircraft had collided, the spokesman said.
"We have not found the second pilot," he said. "The planes were flying too high to be shot down."
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