A Columbus Air Force Base instructor pilot and student pilot escaped without injury Monday after the landing gear of their training jet malfunctioned, causing the aircraft to land on its belly with its wheels retracted.
The incident happened at 4:28 p.m. Monday while student pilots were practicing aerobatics maneuvers, takeoffs and landings, CAFB Public Affairs Officer Sonic Johnson said today.
Johnson said he did not know the names of the instructor or student, adding that the accident is currently under investigation by the safety investigation board. It could be 60 to 90 days before base officials know what caused the incident.
Johnson said such incidents are uncommon, and it has been roughly five years since a similar incident occurred on the base. The training jet sustained damage and is currently in a hangar at CAFB.
The instructor and student were flying a T-6A Texan II, one of 100 used at CAFB for first-year student pilots. The aircraft is a single-engine, two-seat primary trainer used by the United States Air Force and the U.S. Navy for student-pilot training.
The cockpit offers tandem seating, allowing the student and instructor to sit either behind or in front of one another. Pilots may also fly the aircraft alone.
U.S. Air Force fact sheets report an initial climb speed of 3,100 feet per minute and 18,000 feet in less than six minutes. Its maximum speed is 320 mph.
Instructor pilots began flying the T-6A Texan II in 2000 at Randolph Air Force Base near San Antonio, Texas. In addition to CAFB, the aircraft are also used for student-pilot training at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Okla., Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio, Texas, and Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
