The US Air Force has confirmed that a T-38 Talon II jet crashed in a wooded area of Lamar County, Alabama, close to the Mississippi border during a training exercise, with both pilots ejecting safely and taken to a medical facility for assessment.
(Image: US Air Force)
Two pilots managed to eject safely from a US Air Force T-38 Talon II jet during a training exercise on Tuesday, as per an official statement from Columbus Air Force Base.
The aircraft crashed in a forested area of Lamar County, Alabama, near the Mississippi border.
ABC reporter Austin Pratt, who is on location, confirmed that both pilots have been transported to a medical facility where they are currently undergoing evaluation by medical staff.
The base’s official statement read: “The cause of the mishap is currently unknown and will be investigated by a Safety Investigation Board.”
Columbus Air Force Base houses the 14th Flying Training Wing of Air Education and Training Command’s 19th Air Force.
The wing’s main mission focuses on specialist undergraduate pilot training using the T-6 Texan II, T-38C Talon and T-1A Jayhawk aircraft.
This incident comes after a daring US rescue mission to retrieve the crew of “Dude 44,” an F-15E Strike Eagle that was downed over the rugged landscape of southwestern Iran.
After the aircraft was hit by a shoulder-launched missile, the pilot and weapons system officer were compelled to eject into hostile territory, sparking the mission to bring them home before they could be captured by Iranian forces.
The high-risk operation involved U.S. Special Operations forces and CIA agents working together to locate the airmen in the mountains of Isfahan province.
While the pilot was swiftly rescued, the weapons system officer endured a terrifying 24 hours avoiding capture in a mountain crevice before being extracted under intense gunfire.
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