T-38C havariet - Curt Lewis

Deadly Air Force Training Jet Crash Was the Fifth in Just One Year

It's been a bad run of things for the aging T-38 Talon jet trainers.


A U.S. Air Force training jet crashed last night, killing one pilot and injuring a second. The incident is the fifth such crash of the T-38 Talon jet trainer in just one year.

It's a startling crash frequency for the T-38, which was introduced into service in the late 1950s. Over the past several years, the Air Force has been coordinating a competition among defense contractors to build the new T-X trainer, which is scheduled to take over for the T-38 in the early 2020s. At this rate, it can't come soon enough.

The trainer that crashed was assigned to Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas. According to the base website, the injured pilot was sent to Val Verde Regional Medical Center for treatment. A board of officers will convene to investigate the incident.


T-38 in U.S. Air Force service, 1965.

Laughlin is home to the 85th and 434th Fighter Training Squadrons. Together, the two squadrons train approximately 300 pilots annually, flying more than 75,000 hours a year. The base is home to T-6A Texan, T-38C Talon, and T-1A Jayhawk trainer planes.

On November 20, 2017, a pilot based at Laughlin was killed in a T-38C crash, according to statistics from the Aviation Safety Network. Other crashes took place on May 23, August 17, and September 11 of this year. Two pilots were killed in the five incidents, and of the five aircraft involved, four were destroyed or otherwise written off as total losses. Two incidents involved mechanical failure-a faulty gearbox and a blown tire on landing.

The T-38C Talon was first introduced into U.S. Air Force service in 1961, and the last new plane was delivered in 1972. The T-38C is a key aircraft in the training of prospective fighter and bomber pilots, but the age of the aircraft fleet and the introduction of newer, more advanced planes such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter necessitated a new training jet. In all, 86 T-38 trainers have been involved in accidents since 1964. All but seven of the aircraft involved were write-offs.


The new T-X trainer.

The Air Force's prolonged competition to pick a replacement finally ended in the selection of the Boeing T-X trainer in September 2018. A brand new design, the first T-X is expected to be delivered in 2022. The $9.2 billion program will deliver up to 351 jets and 46 simulators.