A T-45C Goshawk training aircraft assigned to Carrier Training Wing (CTW) 1 approaches the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) on March 20, 2017. US Navy Photo
Two sailors were injured after ejecting from a jet trainer that crashed in a Texas residential neighborhood on Sunday, Navy officials told USNI News.
An instructor and student pilot were flying a T-45C Goshawk assigned to Training Air Wing 2 at Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas, when the trainer crashed in a neighborhood in Lake Worth about two miles away from Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth at about 11 a.m. on Sunday.
“The two pilots ejected from the aircraft. The instructor pilot was reported in stable condition; the student naval aviator was reported in serious condition – his injuries were not life-threatening. Both were transported to local medical facilities for treatment,” according to a Navy statement.
“The aircraft impacted the ground in a civilian neighborhood causing damage to at least three homes. Emergency services responded to the scene. The Navy is cooperating fully with local authorities.”
Local police told reporters that one of the pilots had been tangled in powerlines and the other was found in the neighborhood.
While the cause of the crash is undetermined, power for more than 1,000 residents was knocked out as the result of the T-45 going down, local officials said.
“It could have been a lot worse”, Lake Worth Fire Chief Ryan Arthur told local station WFAA. The Goshawk crashed in three homes and caused minor injuries for three people and sparked a small fire.
The following is the complete Sept. 19, 2021 statement from Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA).
Today at approximately 11 a.m. CDT, a Navy T-45C Goshawk jet trainer aircraft assigned to Training Air Wing 2 at Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas, crashed in Lake Worth, Texas, approximately two miles northeast of Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth.
The two pilots ejected from the aircraft. The instructor pilot was reported in stable condition; the student naval aviator was reported in serious condition – his injuries were not life-threatening. Both were transported to local medical facilities for treatment.
The aircraft impacted the ground in a civilian neighborhood causing damage to at least three homes. Emergency services responded to the scene. The Navy is cooperating fully with local authorities.
The incident is under investigation.
The pilots were conducting a routine training flight that originated at from Corpus Christi International Airport. The safety and environmental teams are en-route for scene assessment.
We are extremely thankful for the support from Lake Worth and Fort Worth Fire Departments, Lake Worth Police, Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, and other community partners who responded to the scene.
Updates will be provided as the situation develops.