A Navy T-45 training aircraft crashed Sunday night in a remote area of Tennessee, killing both pilots on board, the Navy said Monday.
The T-45C Goshawk was assigned to Training Air Wing 1, based at Naval Air Station Meridian, Miss., and was reported missing Sunday night.
A search Monday morning near Tellico Plains in the Cherokee National Forest revealed the crash site.
“Two pilots were aboard the aircraft, an instructor and a student. The pilots did not survive the incident,” said a statement from Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA)
Training Air Wing 1 is one of five training wings that belong to CNATRA.
In April, Fox News reported that about 100 instructor pilots refused to fly the aircraft, citing a rash of incidents in which pilots appear to suffer from oxygen deprivation, a condition known as hypoxia.
After a temporary grounding, and a period of flight restrictions, the planes were allowed to fly again after being outfitted with upgraded oxygen sensors.
But even after the fix some problems were reported in August according to a report in Defense Tech.
An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash.
NOTE: This story was updated after the Navy confirmed the two pilots had died.
