US Air Force pilot, co-pilot injured during crash near Texas-Mexico border

A US Air Force pilot was killed and his co-pilot injured when their training jet crashed on the Tex-Mex border Monday evening.

A USAF T-38 Talon trainer aircraft slammed into the Amistad Reservoir area around 4 PM, about 14 miles from the Del Rio-adjacent Laughlin Air Force Base.

According to a local resident interviewed by KENS, a local resident the plane came down in a brush area, followed by a “loud boom.”

One airman was found dead at the scene, although his co-pilot survived and was taken to a Del Rio hospital.

The USAF has released little informaFtion regarding the identities of the aircrew or details of the crash, which is under investigation.

“Our biggest priority at this time is caring for the family and friends of our Airmen,” said Col. Michelle Pryor, 47th Flying Training Wing vice commander. “We are a close-knit family, and when a tragedy like this occurs every member of the U.S. Armed Forces feels it. Our people take top priority, and we are committed to ensuring their safety and security.”

The world’s first and most-produced supersonic training jet, the T-38 has been in service since the early 1960s and costs a little over $6 million per aircraft. The jet is also known for the infamous 1982 “Diamond Crash,” which instantaneously killed four out of six of the USAF’s Thunderbirds demonstration pilots at the time.

The names of the pilots are being withheld for next of kin notification.