A Sheppard Air Force Base T-38 Talon veered off the runway during takeoff at about 2:10 p.m. CDT May 14 at Sheppard, AFB, TX. The crew of two experienced minor injuries and received treatment. The airfield was temporarily closed except for military aircraft returning to Sheppard AFB.

The T-38, assigned to the 80th Flying Training Wing, is a twin-engine, high-altitude, supersonic jet trainer. The Talon has swept wings, a streamlined fuselage and tricycle landing gear with a steerable nose wheel. Two independent hydraulic systems power the ailerons, rudder and other flight control surfaces. Critical aircraft components are waist high and can be easily reached by maintenance crews.

The more recent T-38C incorporates a glass cockpit with integrated avionics displays, head-up display and an electronic "no drop bomb" scoring system. The AT-38B has a gun sight and practice bomb dispenser. The T-38 needs 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. T-38s modified by the propulsion modernization program have approximately 19 percent more thrust, reducing takeoff distance by 9 percent. The instructor and student sit in tandem on rocket-powered ejection seats in a pressurized, air-conditioned cockpit.

A board of Air Force officials will investigate the incident.

FMI: www.af.mil