On Tuesday 18 September at approximately 1600 local time a United States Air Force Beechcraft T-6A Texan II turbine-powered trainer crashed in a field in the vicinity of Rolling Oaks Mall near Nacogdoches Road just outside Loop 1604 in the northeastern San Antonio, Texas, area. The crew of two aboard the trainer successfully ejected from their stricken T-6A and suffered only minor injuries. After being taken to the Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph (JBSA) Medical Clinic for evaluation the two were released. Their names have not yet been released to the public.
The trainer, belonging to the 12th Flying Training Wing (TTW) and based at JBSA, is one of 444 being used for primary pilot training at several Air Force Bases (AFBS) by the USAF and at Naval Air Stations (NASs) by the US Navy, and by the countries of Argentina, Canada, Greece, Iraq, Israel, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The commander of the 12th Flying Training Wing subsequently suspended flights of the T-6A. The cause of the crash is not known, but an Air Force investigation team was on the ground along with military and civilian firefighters, said Randy Martin, the wing’s spokesman.
There were no civilian casualties, and the extent of damage to property is being evaluated. “We are grateful to the community and the first responders who rushed to help our Airmen at the site of the crash,” said Col. Mark Robinson, 12th Flying Training Wing commander. “While we can’t rule out any specific cause, initial indications do not give us reason to believe that the On Board Oxygen Generation System is a factor in today’s accident. We are pleased to confirm that our pilots were treated and released from our medical facility,” Robinson said. We’ll update this story as events warrant.
