Air Force Pilots Eject From Plane Moments Before it Crashed in Texas

An Air Force trainer plane crashed near a mall in San Antonio, Texas on Sept. 18, as two crew members safely ejected.

No civilian casualties were reported and a property damage assessment is underway. Flying training has been suspended, pending an investigation.

A student pilot and instructor of the Wing T-6A Texan II aircraft were captured on video around 4 p.m. local time on Sept. 18, as they parachuted to safety.

The Air Education and Training Command (AETC), which oversees the operations of the Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph (JBSA), issued a media release immediately following the incident.

“The crew ejected and is safe with minor injuries reported at the site. Both were transported to the Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Medical Clinic for evaluation,” the AETC stated. “There were no civilian casualties, and the extent of damage to property has not been assessed.”

The 12th Flying Training Wing commander, Col. Mark Robinson, ordered flying training operations to be suspended in the wake of the accident, and “will evaluate its resumption over the coming hours.”

Members from the base’s fire and safety units from the 12th Flying Training Wing responded to the incident alongside and local responders, the announcement said.

Brandi Williams, a caretaker at the San Antonio Polo Club, told KSAT12 that she saw the two men eject from the plane just before she heard a loud explosion. Williams said the plane didn’t burst into flames, but seemed to “come down easy,” according to the report.

The T-6A Texan II was indefinitely grounded earlier this year due to concerns about hypoxia and “unexplained physiological events,” KSAT12 reported, citing Military.com.

Use of that plane model was reportedly later reinstated.