On a Thursday evening in October, over the open country near Seguin, Texas, two airmen in a training aircraft faced a warning that their landing gear could not be trusted, and chose to leave the machine rather than ride it down. It is the oldest kind of decision in flight: the moment when a craft built to carry people can no longer be counted on, and the people must choose their own descent. Both are now in the hands of medical staff, and the reason the gear failed remains, for now, a question held open.
Two Pilots Eject From T-6A Trainer Near Seguin, Texas, After Landing Gear Problem
Two pilots ejected from the aircraft and are being evaluated by local medical personnel; their condition was not immediately known.
On a Thursday evening in October, over the open country near Seguin, Texas, two airmen in a training aircraft faced a warning that their landing gear could not be trusted, and chose to leave the machine rather than ride it down. It is the oldest kind of decision in flight: the moment when a craft built to carry people can no longer be counted on, and the people must choose their own descent. Both are now in the hands of medical staff, and the reason the gear failed remains, for now, a question held open.
At about 5:51 p.m. on Thursday, two pilots left a T-6A Texan II training aircraft near Seguin, Texas. Joint Base San Antonio called it a "controlled bailout" and said both had ejected safely.
The aircraft belonged to the 12th Flying Training Wing, and its crew had received indications that the landing gear was unsafe. Before leaving the plane, they consulted experts, who recommended ejection.
The release leaves much unsaid: how long the consultation lasted, what the warnings showed, and what became of the aircraft. Both pilots are being evaluated by local medical personnel, and their condition is not yet known.
The cause of the gear problem and any review by Air Education and Training Command are the things to watch next.
At about 5:51 p.m. local time on Thursday, two pilots left a military training aircraft in the air near Seguin, Texas. Joint Base San Antonio described the maneuver as a "controlled bailout," and officials said both pilots ejected safely.
The aircraft was a T-6A Texan II assigned to the 12th Flying Training Wing. According to the base's news release, the crew had received indications that the plane's landing gear was unsafe. Before leaving the aircraft, they consulted experts. Those experts recommended that they eject.
The account is brief, and much of what happened between the warning and the bailout has not been described. The release does not say how long the pilots were in contact with those experts, what the specific indications were, or what became of the aircraft itself. Those details were not part of the information officials gave out on Thursday.
Both pilots were being evaluated by local medical personnel. Their conditions were not immediately known, so while officials characterized the ejection as safe, the reporting does not yet say whether either pilot was hurt.
The T-6A Texan II is a single-engine, two-seat primary trainer. According to the U.S. Air Force, it is designed to teach basic flying skills to future Air Force and Navy pilots. It is the kind of aircraft in which new aviators learn the fundamentals, though the release does not say whether the two people aboard were students, instructors, or a mix of the two.
The 12th Flying Training Wing is part of Air Education and Training Command, which says the wing develops the next generation of Air Force aviators and enlisted aircrew by providing flying training and education. Seguin sits roughly 35 miles east of San Antonio, within reach of Joint Base San Antonio.
What comes next is not yet known. The cause of the landing gear problem is the central open question, and so is the condition of the two pilots. Any review by Air Education and Training Command of T-6A procedures would be the place to watch for answers.
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Leia o original em CBS News ↗
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