At the time of the accident, the T-38 was performing a training mission. One instructor pilot was on board and safely ejected.
A U.S. Air Force (USAF) T-38 Talon stationed at Vance Air Force Base (AFB) in Enid, Oklahoma, crashed at approximately 1:48 p.m. Friday local time, about 70 miles west of the base.
According to a news release from the base “At the time of the accident, the aircraft was performing a training mission. One instructor pilot was on board and safely ejected. The pilot is conscious, was not seriously injured, and is being evaluated by Air Force medical personnel.”
The aircraft was destroyed.
Vance AFB emergency response personnel are on-site and have begun an accident investigation.
The T-38C Talon II is a twin-engine, high-altitude, supersonic jet trainer used in a variety of roles. Air Education and Training Command is the primary user of the T-38 for joint specialized undergraduate pilot training. Air Education and Training Command uses the T-38C to prepare pilots for front-line fighter and bomber aircraft such as the F-15E Strike Eagle, F-15C Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, B-1B Lancer, A-10 Thunderbolt, and F-22 Raptor.
The 71st Flying Training Wing at Vance trains more than 300 Air Force and allied student pilots each year. The base operates approximately 200 T-1 Jayhawk, T-6 Texan II, and T-38 Talon aircraft, flying over 55,000 sorties and 81,000 hours every year.
Photo by Steve White / U.S. Air Force