Developing Story: Military Crash, Naval Aviator in Serious Condition

Military

In Lake Worth, Texas a neighborhood is shaken after a Navy T-45C Goshawk jet trainer military aircraft crashed damaging three homes. The two pilots, an instructor, and a trainee were both injured in the incident. According to officials in Lake Worth, calls began coming in about the downed aircraft before 11AM CDT Sunday, Sep, 19th. The training jet crashed two miles northeast of Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth.

“Although badly burnt, the pilot was conscious, alert and breathing,” Lake Worth police said in a news release.

Aircraft flyovers in the area are common, and according to eyewitness reports crashes had never been a major concern. The Fort Worth Fire Department wrote in a statement, “Three homes were damaged in the crash, Three residents of those homes were treated and released at the scene with minor injuries. The fires are under control. There are 44 homes in the area that are without power.”

Two Fort Worth Firefighters witnessed the crash and responded immediately.

Amazingly, there were jangled nerves and property damage on the ground, but no major injuries or deaths although the residents have been displaced by the incident.

A Nightmare Military Crash And A Miracle

According to a statement from the US Navy,

“The two pilots ejected from the aircraft. The instructor pilot was reported in stable condition; the student naval aviator was reported in serious condition – his injuries were not life-threatening. Both were transported to local medical facilities for treatment.”

“The aircraft impacted the ground in a civilian neighborhood causing damage to at least three homes. Emergency services responded to the scene. The Navy is cooperating fully with local authorities.”

“The instructor pilot involved the crash, was released from the hospital today. The student pilot is still in serious condition and is receiving treatment for his injuries. He will remain at Parkland Hospital in Dallas.”

“The pilots were conducting a routine training flight that originated at from Corpus Christi International Airport. The cause of the crash is unknown. The safety team is enroute for damage assessment.”

MilitaryJohn Baxter, the civilian overseer for the collection of debris and environmental recovery for Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Southwest, said that the cleanup will take the next couple of days as each piece of debris is carefully cataloged. The environmental portion of the process takes longer though, with jet fuel being the largest factor.

Baxter expressed to The Star-Telegram exactly how lucky this outcome was, he said

“An aircraft came down in the back of several people’s homes and nobody was killed and that is a miracle,”

As rough as the blowback was on Twitter, with plenty of criticism for the military, it is even more fortunate that the damage was minor and that there were no fatalities. Under the mismanagement of this administration, and falling levels of battle readiness reported by a recent Senate investigation our service members need all the help and goodwill they can get.

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