Sheppard responds to T-38 crash

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jelani Gibson
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  A T-38 Talon crashed south of Sheppard July 19 at 6:48 a.m., where two pilots on board ejected safely.

Both pilots have been identified as instructor pilot Maj. Christopher Thompson and German Air Force student pilot 1st Lt. Julius Dressbach. The pilots have both been medically examined and the student suffered minor, non-life threatening injuries and is at a downtown hospital. Both Airmen are assigned to the 80th Flying Training Wing here.

Military and civilians first responders were at the scene.

"We are committed to the safety of our personnel, and are happy to say that both the student and the instructor pilot ejected safely from the T-38," said Col. Lance Bunch, 80th FTW commander.

Bunch praised the efforts of the local community and the role they played in an effective response.

"I want to thank the local community for all its support," he said. "Because of them we were able to recover our pilots quickly and make sure they were safe."

Air Education and Training command primarily uses the T-38 for joint specialized undergraduate pilot training. It is used to prepare students to fly front-line aircraft such as the F-15E Strike Eagle, F-15C Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, B-1B Lancer, A-10 Thunderbolt and F-22 Raptor.

"We cannot speculate on the cause of the accident," Bunch said. "We are committed to safety and accident prevention and will work to ensure that accidents like this do not happen in the future."

In 2012 the 80th FTW replaced the ejection seats in its T-38 fleet, which increases pilot safety. The older seats were replaced by Martin-Baker. Pilots receive extensive training on egress and ejection prior to flying.

"What happened this morning was terrible," Bunch announced on his official social media account. "It could have been so much worse. Planes can be replaced--people cannot. There is a reason we train the way we do and have the precautions that we have."

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

(2nd Lt. Meredith Hein also contributed to this article)