Early this morning, just before 7 a.m., a T-38 crashed just South of Shepherd Air Force Base located in Witchita Falls in Northern Texas.
There were only two people on board, Major Chris Thompson and 1st Lieutenant Julius Dressbach. Thompson and Dressbach are both part of the Sheppard Air Force Base’s Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program. Dressbach was receiving a flying lesson when it is reported that they were hit by a bird strike, causing the crash. However, an official cause for the crash has not been determined or released. The plane, reportedly crashed into a heavily wooded area, and did cause a fire to break out.
“An investigation into the accident is underway. The public is asked to cooperate with military and civilian authorities at the scene,” the US Air Force announced in a statement.
http://t.co/cOY07RUCws there was so much smoke, it was ridiculous
— Jon (@DarkRazorZ) July 19, 2013
Thompson and Dressbach were both able to safely eject themselves from the plane, and, luckily, only suffered minor injuries. One was able to be treated at the scene by paramedics, while the other was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
First to respond on the scene of the crash was sheriff David Duke and his deputies. “The deputies did tell me that the pilot that was injured apparently was hung in the trees and fell through the trees to get down while trying to get out of it. He was covered with jet fuel but then again, from the crash and their ejection and coming down through it and the fire. He had made a comment that he was involved in the fire ball when he went through it and he had some minor burns on his face and neck,” said Sheriff Duke.
A neighbor, Melissa Baker, who lives near the crash site, stated that she heard the T-38 crash at about 7 am this morning.
All of a sudden you hear a big loud noise, it sounded like a blow torch and then just a big loud bang, so we flew out of bed, threw shoes on went outside and you just see a big mushroom cloud everywhere.
-Melissa Baker
