US military jet crashes in Mississippi, both pilots escape death
A US Air Force jet has crashed during a training flight over a remote area of northeastern Mississippi, officials say.
The T-38C Talon II training aircraft went down in the vicinity of Columbus Air Force Base on Wednesday morning, officials said in a statement.
The airmen onboard the aircraft, believed to be a student pilot and an instructor, survived the crash and were taken to a local hospital for medical examinations. Their conditions were not immediately known to officials, an Air Force spokesman said.
The incident caused a massive fire at the scene of the crash, which was seen in the city of Columbus several miles away.
Home to the USAF's 14th Flying Training Wing and Air Force Training Command’s 19th Air Force, Columbus Air Force Base is one of the main training centers for student pilots.
USAF pilots selected to fly fighter jets and bomber aircraft on war fronts train on the T-38C, an updated version of the jet that has been in service since 1961.
The USAF also uses T-6 Texan II and the T-1A Jayhawk for other training purposes.
The crash was at least the second mishap involving a T-38C over the past 12 months. The other crash on November 20 ended up killing the instructor pilot after his Talon went down in Del Rio, Texas. The other airman was injured but survived.
The incident came only two days after the deadline for the USAF to carry out a review of the safety measures it has employed in order to identify factors contributing to an increase in military aerial mishaps in fiscal year 2018, which began in October.
At least seven Air Force aircraft have crashed over this period. Four of the crashes have been fatal, killing 18 airmen.
Gen. David Goldfein, the Air Force chief of staff, ordered the review earlier in May after a Puerto Rico Air National Guard WC-130H crashed near Savannah, Georgia, killing all nine servicemen on board.
Air Force and Pentagon officials say they have yet to find specific issues that explain the sudden rise.
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