Columbus Air Force Base will not release the name or the nationality of the pilot involved in Thursday”s T-6 Texan II crash.
The embassy of the pilot”s home country “asked us not to release (his name), for the safety of him and his family,” said Sonic Johnson, director of public affairs at the base.
Johnson said the pilot, who ejected safely from the plane, was not from Iraq or Afghanistan.
The base frequently hosts pilots from other countries. In June, a military officer from Afghanistan completed pilot training at the base, as part of a program to help the Middle Eastern country improve its air capabilities. A Saudi Arabian pilot, who is a member of that country”s royal family, graduated with a March training class.
Investigations of incidents like Thursday”s crash usually take about 30 days, Col. Roger Watkins said at the Friday press conference held at the crash site in Mantee.
The plane crashed in a yard a few feet from Mantee Road at about 5:50 p.m. Thursday.
The pilot had triggered the ejection seat in the aircraft and landed half a mile away from the crash site, Watkins said. He was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle and released the same night.
Officials from Columbus, Lowndes County, Webster County, the U.S. Air Force and other agencies responded to the incident in subsequent hours.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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