WICHITA FALLS, Texas – An instructor pilot assigned at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas suffered critical injuries during a training accident on Monday and passed away on Tuesday, USAF officials confirmed.
The unnamed Air Force pilot with the 80th Flying Training Wing was injured Monday when the ejection seat of the pilot’s T-6A Texan II aircraft activated while on the ground, according to a statement from Sheppard AFB.
The T-6A Texan II is a single-engine two-seater aircraft that serves as a trainer for Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps pilots.
The pilot’s name is withheld for 24 hours after family members have been notified, per USAF policy, NBC 5 DFW reported.
No further details were provided and an investigation into the cause of the tragedy is underway.
During a training flight, an instructor in the T-6A Texan II can sit in the front or back seat; both positions have lightweight Martin-Baker ejection seats that are activated by a handle on the seat, according to NBC 5.
In 2022, the T-6 fleet in addition to hundreds of other Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps jets were grounded when inspections revealed a potential defect with one component of the ejection seat’s cartridge actuated devices (CADs). When activated the cartridge explodes and initiates the ejection process.
Following the inspection, some of the aircraft had the CADs replaced.
