Two pilots safely ejected from an Air Force T-38C Talon II supersonic jet trainer before the aircraft crashed in eastern Mississippi on Wednesday.
The crash occurred at 8:30 a.m. local time just outside of Columbus Air Force Base in Columbus, Miss. The aircraft is used to train Air Force pilots.
Officials from Columbus Air Force base confirmed that first responders had extinguished the fire at the site of the crash, and that both pilots are currently being evaluated for additional injuries. More information on their statuses will be provided as it becomes available.
The crash occurred just before Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis is expected to speak at the U.S. Air Force Academy gradation in Colorado Springs, Colo.
