Plane Crashed On Grounds Of Columbus AFB

US Air Force officials confirm two pilots died when an Air Force T-38C Talon trainer crashed Wednesday afternoon on the grounds of Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi.

Few details have been provided about the circumstances of the crash, which occurred at 1230 local time.

First flown in 1959, The T-38 Talon is a twin-engine, high-altitude, supersonic jet trainer used in a variety of roles. The upgraded T-38C (type shown above) incorporates a "glass cockpit" with integrated avionics displays, head-up display and an electronic "no drop bomb" scoring system. The instructor and student sit in tandem on rocket-powered ejection seats in a pressurized cockpit.

Air Education and Training Command uses the T-38C and the AT-38B (modified T-38A) 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 Warthog and F/A-22 Raptor.

Earlier this month, T-38s from Columbus participated in an exercise dubbed "Magnolia Warrior," an exercise intended to teach airmen Joint Terminal Attack Controller operations over a warzone such as Iraq, reports the Meridian (MS) Star.

Names of the deceased in Wednesday's crash have not been released, pending the notification of next of kin. A board of officers will investigate the accident.

FMI: www.af.mil