A pilot died and two other pilots were injured around 10 p.m. Friday during a mishap at Laughlin Air Force base in Del Rio, Tex., around 152 miles west of San Antonio.
According to a news release from the 47th Flying Training Wing, the incident involved two T-38C Talon trainer aircraft.
“The T-38 Talon is a twin-engine, high-altitude, supersonic jet trainer used in a variety of roles because of its design, economy of operations, ease of maintenance, high performance and exceptional safety record,” said the Air Force.
Features of the aircraft include swept wings; a streamlined fuselage; tricycle landing gear with a steerable nose wheel; two independent hydraulic systems to power the ailerons, rudder and other flight control surfaces; a “glass cockpit” with integrated avionics displays and rocket-powered ejection seats.
T-38 Talon planes need as little as 2,300 feet of runway to take off and can climb from sea level to nearly 30,000 feet in one minute.
After the incident Friday, one of the injured pilots was transferred to Val Verde Regional Medical Center in Del Rio. They were treated at the center and released.
The other pilot was in critical condition. They were evacuated from the base – the largest Air Force training base in the country – by air to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.
Identities of the pilots will be withheld for 24 hours after their next of kin is notified.
“Losing teammates is unbelievably painful and it is with a heavy heart I express my sincere condolences,” said Col. Craig Prather, 47th Flying Training Wing commander. “Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with our pilots involved in this mishap and their families.”
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