In a February, 2018 file photo, two T-38C Talons from the 25th Flying Training Squadron taxi on the flightline after a flight Feb. 1, 2018, at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. (Corey Pettis/U.S. Air Force)
AUSTIN, Texas — A pilot was conscious after the T-38C Talon aircraft that he was flying crashed near Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma, according to the Air Force.
The crash occurred at 1:48 p.m. on Friday about 50 miles west of the base in Enid, Oklahoma The pilot, a training instructor, was conducting a training mission and was the only person on the plane, said Joe Wiles, a member of the base’s public affairs office. Wiles did not name the pilot, but he said the pilot ejected before the crash, was conscious and being treated by local emergency response personnel. Officials from the base were en route to begin their investigation into the accident.
The aircraft was a total loss, according to an Air Force statement.
Located about 90 miles northwest of Oklahoma City, Vance is home to about 1,200 active-duty and Reserve servicemembers. It is the northernmost Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training base in Air Education and Training Command. The 71st Flying Training Wing trains pilots on the T-1A Jayhawk, T-6A Texan II and T-38C Talon.
thayer.rose@stripes.com Twitter: @Rose_Lori
