A USAF Northrop T-38C Talon, operated by 14th FTW, crashed in a wooded area about 15 miles southwest of Montgomery Regional Airport (MGM/KMGM), Montgomery, Alabama, during a touch-and-go training.
Both pilots were killed and the aircraft was destroyed. One pilot was a trainee of the Japan Air Self-Defence Force.
The two-seat aircraft belonging to the 14th Flying Training Wing went down around 5:30 p.m. near Dannelly Field in Montgomery, Alabama.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the two pilots involved in this incident,” said Col. Seth Graham, 14th Flying Training Wing commander. “There are no words that can describe the sadness that accompanies the loss of our teammates.”
The aircraft involved in the crash was assigned to the USAF 14th Flying Training Wing at Columbus AFB, Mississippi. The unit is tasked with performing the 52-week Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training program that prepares future USAF pilots and some foreign exchange students for assignment to operational units or more advanced training.
A safety investigation board will investigate the crash.
The Air Force said the names of the pilots are being withheld at this time, pending next of kin notifications.
The crash comes a day after another incident involving the T-38. On Thursday, a trainer jet assigned to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing was forced to execute a “gear-up landing” at Mather Airport, California. No injuries were reported.
The last time I did touch and go landings in a Piper Cherokee an unusual event transpired. We witnessed a large opaque cigar shaped craft in the air that appeared to be dropping photon orbs from the bottom of the craft. I thought perhaps they were some type of surveillance drones. Strange, to be sure. It opened-up my mind, and eyes, to another level.