Air Force Pilot Killed In Fifth T-38 Crash In A Year

One pilot was killed and another injured on Tuesday when a T-38C Talon crashed after taking off from Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, according to a statement on the installation’s Facebook page.

• The names of both pilots are being withheld pending next of kin notification, the message says. An accident investigation board has been convened to determine the cause of the crash.
• There was no update on the injured pilot’s medical status as of Wednesday morning, said Laughlin spokeswoman Airman 1st Class Anne McCready. Flight operations at the base have been suspended for the day.
• The incident marked the fifth T-38 crash within a year. The first occurred on Nov. 20, 2017, when Capt. Paul J. Barbour was killed and another pilot was injured in a crash in Del Rio Texas. Both pilots were from Laughlin.
• Most recently, in September, two pilots safely ejected when a T-38 crashed during takeoff at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas.
• The head of Air Education and Training Command recently fired three commanders from the 47th Flying Training Wing at Laughlin after investigations revealed leadership failures.
• “By failing to address incidents of dangerous behavior and a threatening environment, irresponsible alcohol consumption, and disrespectful treatment of some students, these leaders did not establish and enforce a culture that upheld our Air Force core values,” Kwast said in an Oct. 31 news release.

SEE ALSO: Air Force Fires 3 Commanders At Texas Base Amid Reports of ‘Dangerous Behavior’

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