LAMAR COUNTY, Ala. – Two Columbus Air Force Base pilots have returned home following a midair ejection during a training exercise Tuesday over west Alabama.

The pilots were flying a T-38 Talon II during a training exercise at about noon Tuesday when they ejected over a rural area near the Fayette/Lamar County line.

The two pilots were found by local responders in a “rural, unpopulated area,” said Adam Prince, public affairs director for CAFB.

They were taken to North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo and released at 9 p.m. that night, a press release from CAFB said.

The cause of the mishap is still unknown, Prince said.

“Our job right now (that) our people are safe, (is) preserving the integrity of the mishap site,” Prince told The Dispatch.

Military personnel, alongside other responding agencies, remained on scene Wednesday to locate aircraft debris and support ongoing safety investigations, the press release said.

The Safety Investigation Board is investigating the mishap. The board investigates any Air Force-related accident that results in “death, injury, illness or property damage,” the Air Force Safety Center’s website said.

The website said an SIB investigation typically lasts anywhere from one to three months.

Incidents are ranked on a scale from class A through E based on the severity of the incident.

A mishap resulting in the destruction of a Department of Defense aircraft is a class A mishap, which is the most severe, the website said.

Once the investigation is complete, the SIB will present its findings to senior Air Force leadership and recommend steps to prevent another incident from occurring in the future.

Some examples of recommendations include changes to maintenance procedures, new inspection criteria or a complete overhaul of an aircraft part.

Officials will release more information as it becomes available. Prince could not provide further details by press time.