U.S. Air Force Releases Accident Report in Feb. 19 Training Jet Crash in Montgomery

The U.S. Air Force has released an accident report detailing the events that lead to a training aircraft crash in Montgomery on February 19 that killed two service members.

According to the report, the training pilot “lost situational awareness” while attempting a maneuver.

The report states that as the T-38 trainer jet was approaching the runway to perform an instrument approach, the training pilot decelerated the aircraft too much while attempting to perform the maneuver.

As the aircraft decelerated, it quickly lost altitude.

The supervising trainer then attempted to accelerate the plane to achieve the correct approach speed, but it was too late.

Seconds later the plane crashed into the ground near the Montgomery Regional Airport, killing the two pilots. The Air Force supervising pilot was identified as 24-year-old Scot Ames, Jr. The other was a student pilot from the Japanese Air Self Defense Force. His identity was never released.

Both pilots were assigned to the 14th Flying Training Wing , and flew with the 50th Flying Training Squadron at Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi. They had been flying to Tallahassee, Florida.