2 airmen killed in Oklahoma training mission crash

ENID, Okla. — Two airmen were killed Thursday in an accident involving two jets at an Air Force base in northwestern Oklahoma, military officials said.

Vance Air Force Base said in a news release that two T-38 Talons each with two people aboard were taking part in a training mission when the crash occurred shortly after 9 a.m.

The military hasn’t released the conditions of the others involved or the names of the deceased.

“All we can disclose is that there are two fatalities as a result of the crash,” said Airman Zoe Perkins with the base’s public affairs office.

An Air Force team will investigate to determine the cause of the crash, Perkins said.

TV footage from the scene shows one aircraft upside down on grass near a runway and the second aircraft upright on the runway.

The base in Enid, about 65 miles northwest of Oklahoma City, says on its website that the T-38 Talon is a twin-engine, high-altitude, supersonic jet used in a variety of jet pilot training roles. It is one of three types of aircraft, along with the T-1 Jayhawk and the T-6 Texan, used for pilot training at the base.

The crash is the second incident involving a T-38 training jet in Oklahoma in the past 15 months.

Air Force officials said an Air Force pilot ejected successfully before a jet trainer crashed in western Oklahoma in August 2018 and was found safe, while the jet crashed and exploded about 70 miles west of the base. Investigators said the pilot ejected after the jet developed engine trouble.