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The plane hits two houses, but there are no serious injuries.
©Associated Press
March 9, 2003
VALPARAISO -- A T-38 military trainer jet carrying one airman crashed Saturday in a residential area outside Eglin Air Force Base, officials said. The pilot escaped with minor injuries and no one on the ground was hurt.
The plane hit two houses in this Panhandle town about 1:45 p.m., base spokeswoman Lt. Col. Debbie Millett said.
The pilot, Maj. Rich Beavers, ejected from the jet before it crashed and was brought to a military hospital in good condition, Millett said.
The plane was based at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, N.M., Millett said.
People were inside the houses at the time of the crash, she said. Residents were talking to investigators about the accident. Millett had no further information.
The T-38 is a twin-engine, high-altitude, supersonic jet, according to the fact sheet on the Air Force's Web site. NASA has used the T-38 as a trainer for astronauts preparing for space shuttle missions.
Valparaiso is about 53 miles east of Pensacola.