Power Lines Electrocute 1 Of 2 Pilots Ejected From Military Training Jet That Crashed
TARRANT COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) - It was a hectic scene on Sunday in Lake Worth when a military jet training trip went very wrong.
Two pilots were ejected from the Navy T-45C Goshawk jet before it crashed in a backyard near Tejas Trail. The area is residential. Three homes were damaged and three people were hurt, but not badly. The instructor pilot was found in a wooded area with non-life threatening injuries, and was taken to Harris Methodist Hospital. But the student naval aviator was caught in power lines and electrocuted. As of Sunday night, he was in critical condition at Parkland Hospital.
The aircraft was assigned to Training Air Wing 2 at Naval Air Station Kingsville. The pilots were conducting a routine training flight that originated from Corpus Christi International Airport.
The Lake Worth Police Department speculated there have been thousands, if not millions of flights over the city. They said they've never had any mishap, until Sunday, and that they're grateful everyone is alive. "This incident could have been much worse, knowing that this plane went down in a residential area here in Lake Worth," said Ryan Arthur, Chief of the Lake Worth Fire Department.
CBS 11 spoke with witnesses from Lake Worth who said they first thought they were under attack. "I was driving down the road right here, and a jet flew over and a cockpit piece flew and hit my car," said witness Christ Kurland. Another witness, Anthony Brown described the moment he saw the plane coming down, and his immediate reaction. "I kept asking [the pilot] if he was ok… he kept saying 'no,' that was his answer to everything. He was just in shock."
"I would imagine that for a pilot, this is the day that you dread. That you hope never comes, and so for them and their families who have experienced that worst day, we just want them to know that our thoughts and prayers are with them," said JT Manoushagin, Lake Worth's Police Chief.
The Navy is cooperating fully with local authorities.
The incident is under investigation. The safety and environmental teams are en-route for scene assessment.
