Yet Another USAF T-38 Talon Trainer Has Crashed, The Fifth In 12 Months (Updated) - t-38 talon.jpg

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone...h-in-12-months

Details remain very thin, but according to Laughlin Air Force Base a T-38 Talon
crashed on base at approximately 7:40pm local time. We have no information at
this time on the circumstances surrounding the mishap or if the pilot (or
pilots) onboard made it out.

This is the fifth Talon crash in the past 12 months and the type has made up
roughly half of USAF aircraft losses this year, which have been disturbingly
numerous. The last major mishap involving a T-38 occurred just last September
when a T-38C veered off the runway at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas. In that
instance, both pilots onboard were able to escape safely.

The T-38C force has received a number of major upgrades over its lifetime, but
the average age of jets is approaching 50 years. The USAF has announced the
aircraft's replacement, Boeing's entrant into the T-X program, but the new jets
won't arrive at training bases until well into the coming decade.

We will update this post with more info as it comes available.

Update: 11pm PST—

I hate writing this, but Laughlin AFB has officially announced that one of the
pilots is dead and one is receiving treatment at a nearby hospital. See the
official statement below.

We still have no information as to the circumstances surrounding the accident at
this time.



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