SUVA, Fiji — The remains of a U.S. fighter pilot have begun a long journey home from a deep jungle ravine in Fiji, 64 years after his airplane disappeared during a World War II sortie.

A 12-member team from the O'ahu-based Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command on Wednesday accepted the remains of the man — whose identity the U.S. Air Force has yet to reveal — from the residents of remote Naivucini village on Fiji's main island, Viti Levu.

"There is a family back in the United States that's been missing a family member for the last 60 years," Ambassador Larry Dinger, U.S. envoy in Fiji, told the villagers during a ceremony that left villagers teary-eyed.

"Thanks to your effort, this family will now be able to close a sad chapter of their lives, and that's very important," Dinger said.

When the pilot and his single-seat P-39 fighter disappeared during a mission on April 22, 1942, no traces were found despite an aerial search that lasted four days, U.S. officials said.

Some 62 years later, on Aug. 28, 2004, Sailosi Delana and his cousin, Paula Cagidomo, stumbled upon the wreckage while hunting for wild boar.

"We were following the Dokosamaloa creek deep into the jungle when Paula showed me the remains of what we then thought was the tail of an aircraft," Delana, 33, said.

"We didn't see the remains of the pilot, but I did see magazines of ammunition on the ground," Delana said.

He took 17 bullets back to the village and reported the find to police.

Team commanding officer Maj. Albert Tabarez and anthropologist Joan Baker agreed after viewing the site that the pilot could not have survived the crash.

His dog tags weren't recovered but personal effects including a ring and a wallet containing a washed-out photo were found, according to locals.

U.S. officials believe they know the pilot's identity but aren't releasing his name or other details until the remains are identified through DNA tests and the family informed.