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Air Force Probe: Miscommunication Led To Fatal Crash

A student pilot was killed and two Air Force flight instructors were injured when the two T-38C aircraft collided while landing in Texas last November.

Lt. Col. Benjamin Kaminsky, pilot, and Maj. Benjamin Williams, copilot, fly over South Texas in a T-38C Talon during a training mission July 19, 2019. [U.S. Air Force photo by MSgt Christopher Boitz]
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Key Takeaways:

  • A fatal T-38C Talon aircraft accident, which killed a student pilot and injured two instructors, was caused by the instructors' poor communication and failure to recognize and intervene during a precarious formation landing.
  • The miscommunication led both aircraft to attempt landing simultaneously, resulting in the second aircraft landing on top of the first.
  • The Air Force has responded by issuing new training guidance for formation landings, including raising minimum altitude requirements and standardizing radio procedures to prevent future incidents.
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A fatal accident involving two T-38C Talon aircraft that left a student pilot dead and two U.S. Air Force flight instructors injured late last year was the result of the instructors’ poor communication and failure to recognize and intervene during a precarious situation, according to an Air Force investigation.

Results from the probe into the incident have prompted Air Force Air Education and Training Command (AETC) to issue new training guidance for formation landings that includes raising the minimum altitude for the maneuver and standardizing radio procedures to reduce confusion, Air Force Magazine reported.

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