Two occupants of a T-45C Goshawk ejected safely over rural Mississippi on Tuesday in the latest in a string of mishaps involving military aircraft. The Goshawk created a smoking crater when it went down in a pasture in Noxubee County, according to a copyrighted photo taken by the Macon Beacon. The Navy said the crew members were evaluated at a local hospital but provided no further details. The cause of the ejection was not released as the military and local authorities conduct an initial investigation. The Goshawk and the crew members belonged to Training Air Wing One (TW1) based in Meridian, Mississippi. The mishap occurred about 12:30 local time. The Goshawk is an advanced Navy trainer capable of carrier operations.
The crash was at least the second involving jet trainers in the last two weeks. Last week the Air Force grounded its fleet of T-38 Talons after a May 12 incident also in Mississippi. Both crew also ejected safely. They were part of a flight of two T-38s and the decision to ground the fleet suggest a technical issue prompted the ejection. “The pause ensures the continued safety of Air Force personnel and equipment involved in flying T-38 operations while the investigation progresses,” the Air Force said in a statement. The training crashes are on top of the collision between two E/A-18 Growler electronic warfare aircraft at an air show in Idaho in mid-May.
“Smoking crater.” Very poetic, Russ.
If we could show the photo, you’d understand:)
Russ is correct. I’ve seen smoking craters, one a T-37 from Moody AFB in GA, another an RF4 from Zweibrucken AB in then West Germany. That’s what it is, a smoking crater and the jets are in the ground after creating a crater.
Free suggestion for the Niles Style Guide.
Survived ejection.
Nobody has ever ejected safely.
Point taken but that implies more dire consequences that are often the case. Still in search of the perfect adverb.
“Nominally”?
Ejected successfully? Anyway, I knew what you meant.
Successful could still include injuries, like landings…
Maybe:
-Unscathed after ejection
-Successfully ejected (with some injuries)
-Ejected and survived
???
There’s no all-encompassing modifier that excludes something real negative happening…
T-38 and T-45 are so darned old now that spare parts are coming off mothballed airframes. It must be a nightmare to keep them airworthy, especially given the hours students put on these tired aircraft. New trainers can’t arrive fast enough.