The Air Force has suspended formation training landings for the T-38 Talon after two airmen were killed in an accident involving the jets last fall.
The suspension of side-by-side landing was ordered on March 5 by the Air Force for undergraduate pilot training, Military.com reported.
“We are constantly evaluating our training programs to ensure we provide the best possible pilots for our Air Force,” a spokesperson for Air Education and Training Command’s 19th Air Force told the publication Tuesday. “Following an Air-Force wide review, we adjusted our syllabi to reflect the requirements of our fifth generation Air Force and advances in avionics.”
The Nov. 21 incident took place at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma. Two airmen who were operating one of the Northrop T-38 Talon jets were killed when one instructor pilot failed to take control of the aircraft after the other “prematurely” applied the break after it had touched down, causing it to collide with another jet. The two airmen in the other T-38 Talon involved were not hurt.
Over 72,000 U.S. Air Force pilots have trained in the T-38 Talon, according to Northrop Grumman. The two-seater jet was the first supersonic trainer when it began production in 1961.
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