Air Force News, news from Iraq - Air Force Times

Pilots killed in Talon crash identified

Two Air Force pilots died April 23 shortly after taking off from Columbus Air Force Base, Miss, in a T-38C Talon training jet.

The pilots were instructor Maj. David B. Faulkner, a reservist with the 43rd Flying Training Squadron at Columbus, and student pilot 2nd Lt. Matthew Emmons of the 50th Flying Training Squadron at Columbus. Emmons was attending specialized undergraduate flight training and was a member of class 08-14

Faulkner’s aunt, Fidelis Harper of Florence, Ala., told the Florence Times Daily that he grew up wanting to fly. “He once said, ‘I can’t believe anyone would pay me to do what I do.’”

The Air Force released scant information about the crash. One Air Force report said the jet crashed at 12:25 p.m. while taking off from Columbus.

A witness told television station WCBI-TV that the jet appeared to roll over before crashing. Another witness said the two pilots ejected from the jet. While ejection seats protect pilots even at low altitudes, if the jet was tilted over as the pilots bailed out they might not have been high enough to avoid hitting the ground before their parachutes deployed.

The crash is the first fatal T-38C crash since 2003. The Air Force began flying the twin-engine trainer in 1961. The plane that crashed was produced in 1965 and had recently been upgraded with a “glass cockpit,” replacing many gauges and dials with computer displays.

The Air Force and contractor Martin-Baker have also begun to upgrade the Talon’s ejection seat. The new seat can be adjusted to better fit small pilots and replaces parts that were difficult to find.