Two people died after a military jet flying from Mississippi crashed near an airport in Alabama, numerous sources reported.
The jet was headed for Tallahassee, Fla. from Mississippi’s Columbus Air Force Base and crashed in a wooded area near Montgomery Regional Airport, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.
2 killed in Air Force plane crash near Montgomery, Alabama https://t.co/1RjlpaLXtF
— Tallahassee Democrat (@TDOnline) February 20, 2021
Marshall J. Taggart, the airport’s executive director, said the jet was a fighter trainer jet and the crash was reported to the airport at 5:05 p.m., according to The New York Times.
It is unclear how many people were on board the jet.
Taggart said that there are houses in the area where the jet crashed, but it did not hit any structures. It was not yet reported which branch of the military the jet belonged to, but WSFA 12 News reported seeing multiple military personnel at the scene with vehicles including the U.S. Air Force emblem.
Columbus Air Force Base officials reportedly confirmed the jet is a T-38, a two-seater trainer airplane, with the 14th Flying Training Wing, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.
Roughly three weeks prior to the Friday crash, three Army National Guard pilots were killed when their helicopter crashed during a routine training mission in Idaho. (RELATED: REPORT: Three National Guard Pilots Killed In Helicopter Crash)
In January, three National Guard soldiers were also killed during a routine training mission when their helicopter crashed in a rural area south of Rochester.
The National Commission on Military Aviation Safety released a report in December citing rushed training programs and chronic fatigue as the main contributors to non-combat military plane crashes, with more than 6,000 military mishaps between 2013 and 2018 resulting in 224 aircrew member deaths.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.