A U.S. Navy T-6B Texan II aircraft from Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Milton crashed at approximately 5 p.m. Friday in Magnolia Springs, Alabama, killing both crew members on board, according to Commander Zach Harrell, a spokesman for the office of the commander of Naval Air Forces.
It is with a heavy heart that we mourn two of our pilots who lost their lives during an aircraft crash in Alabama today. Our deepest sympathy goes to their family and friends at this difficult time. Rest in peace, Shipmates. We have the watch.
— Naval Air Training (@CNATRA) October 24, 2020
Magnolia Springs is approximately 100 miles southwest of Whiting Field, just west of Foley, Alabama and between the Alabama towns of Fairhope and Gulf Shores.
US Navy says 2 onboard training plane killed in Alabama crash https://t.co/VzW9hRyKgq
— 13News Now (@13NewsNow) October 24, 2020
Whiting Field is a primary initial training location for Navy aviators.
The Navy “is not aware of any civilian casualties at this time,” according to a brief statement on the Naval Air Forces’ Facebook page, and the “Navy is cooperating fully with local authorities.”
We are not aware of any civilian casualties this time. The incident is currently under investigation. The Navy is cooperating fully with local authorities.
— flynavy (@flynavy) October 24, 2020
The names of the two air crew members were not immediately available Friday night, and “will not be released until 24 hours after the next-of-kin notification,” according to the Facebook post.
In a brief telephone interview Friday evening, Harrell said he did not expect any additional details on the crash to be released until sometime Saturday.
According to the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama, no civilians on the ground were injured, although a home in the area did catch fire as a result of the crash.
Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office and fire units were called to the scene, but the Sheriff’s Office was deferring further comment on the incident to military authorities.
“DOD (Department of Defense) and Navy personnel will be handling the investigation and will provide further updates,” the Sheriff’s Office noted Friday evening via Twitter.
This article’s headline has been updated to reflect that the two pilots killed included one U.S. Navy service member and one U.S. Coast Guard member.
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(c)2020 the Northwest Florida Daily News (Fort Walton Beach, Fla.)
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