Accident Overview
On 7 November 2022 at 1247 local time, a T-38C aircraft, tail number 65-0466, crashed approximately 22 miles south of Columbus Air Force Base (AFB), Mississippi. The aircraft was operated by the 49th Fighter Training Squadron, 14th Operations Group, assigned to the 14th Flying Training Wing. The mishap pilot (MP) ejected and sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The aircraft, valued at $8.5 million, was completely destroyed.
Sequence of Events
The mission was scheduled as an instructor continuation training sortie with no students. The flight consisted of two instructor pilots. The aircraft departed Columbus AFB at 1241 local time for a surface attack training mission to Restricted Area F-4404A/B/C (SeaRay Target Range), 42 miles south of the base. At approximately 1245 local, about four minutes after takeoff and 15 miles south of the base, while flying as the number two aircraft maneuvering to line abreast formation, the aircraft was struck by a bird. The bird impacted and shattered the front cockpit canopy (middle section). Fragments of the canopy were ingested into both engines. The left engine immediately failed and stopped working completely. The right engine continued to rotate and produced some power but insufficient thrust to sustain flight. The pilot could not maintain level flight and ejected. The pilot was recovered by local county emergency services.
Cause
The Board President determined by a preponderance of the evidence that the cause of the mishap was a bird strike that shattered the front cockpit canopy. The pilot could not avoid the bird. Both engines ingested canopy fragments, causing catastrophic damage and engine failure, leading to loss of control and subsequent crash. No other contributing factors were identified.