{"id":21212,"date":"2019-11-22T01:10:19","date_gmt":"2019-11-22T01:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/11\/22\/two-vance-afb-airmen-killed-in-crash-during-landing-phase-of-training-exercise\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:35:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:35:29","slug":"two-vance-afb-airmen-killed-in-crash-during-landing-phase-of-training-exercise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2019\/11\/22\/two-vance-afb-airmen-killed-in-crash-during-landing-phase-of-training-exercise\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Vance AFB airmen killed in crash during landing phase of training exercise"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

OKLAHOMA CITY \u2014 Two airmen were killed Thursday<\/a> in an accident involving two jets during the landing phase of a training exercise at Vance Air Force Base in northwestern Oklahoma, a military official said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The crash occurred shortly after 9 a.m. at the base in Enid, about 65 miles northwest of Oklahoma City. Two airmen aboard one of the T-38 Talons were killed, Col. Corey Simmons, commander of the 71st Flying Training Wing, said during a news conference Thursday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the two airmen in the other T-38 Talon were not hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simmons struggled to control his emotions as he described as much as he could of what happened and how the approximately 1,200 military personnel on the base were coping with the tragedy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We are a close-knit family,” Simmons said, appearing to choke back tears, “and when tragedies like this occur, every member of the U.S. military, Vance, Enid, feels it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The military will not release the names of the service members who died until 24 hours after their families have been notified, Simmons said, citing military protocol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Two T-38 trainer aircraft at Vance Air Force Base were involved in a mishap Thursday morning. (Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

An Air Force safety board is investigating, and it typically takes 30-60 days to determine the cause of such accidents, Simmons said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He declined to speculate on what might have happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnly \u2026 for the purity of the safety investigation,” Simmons said. “I don\u2019t want to try to guess. I wasn\u2019t out there when it happened.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simmons also said he does not know if the planes collided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I know that there are two airplanes that are off the runway right now at Vance Air Force Base,” he said. “How they got to that point, I’ve got to let the investigation play itself out.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Col. Corey A. Simmons, Commander 71st Flying Training Wing Vance Air Force Base addresses the media on the death of two airmen during T-38 Talon training operations a training exercise in northwestern Oklahoma Thursday, November 21, 2019 in Enid, Oklahoma. (Billy Hefton\/Enid News via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

TV footage from the scene<\/a> shows one aircraft upside down on grass near a runway and the second aircraft upright on the tarmac.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement, Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, said he was deeply saddened by the accident and loss of the airmen, and offered his prayers to the Vance community and the pilots\u2019 family and friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But he also said Congress must do more to make sure training and readiness programs are funded well enough to avoid more such incidents. Inhofe said the defense authorization bill passed last year included funding for training and flight time, repairs and modernization of aircraft, and more policies meant to improve safety, and this year\u2019s bill will authorize more such funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOver the last decade, more active-duty service members died as a result of training-related incidents than in combat operations,\u201d Inhofe said. \u201cWhile training-related casualties are down this year, even a single instance is too many. We\u2019ve known this is a problem that can\u2019t be solved in a year, and more must be done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t