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On Wednesday, the Air Force identified pilots killed and injured when a T-38C jet jet crashed at the Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas.
The deceased pilot was identified as Capt. John F. Graziano, 28, who was serving as an instructor pilot with the 87th Flying Training Squadron. He was from Elkridge, Maryland, and was survived by his mother, father, sisters and brother.
Graziano's co-pilot was Capt. Mark Palyok, who was also an instructor pilot with the 87th Flying Training Squadron at Laughlin. Following the crash, Palyok was transported to the Val Verde Regional Medical Center in Texas. After receiving treatment, he was released Wednesday.
"Knowing how everyone is affected by this tragedy, my immediate concern is making sure that every member of our family is okay," Col. Lee Gentile, 47th Wing Flying Training Commander, said in a Facebook post. "Together, we are Laughlin and we are going to be together again."
In an extended video, Gentile said the whole air had been affected by the death of Graziano and it had taken a toll on him personally, especially since it was the first pilot to be killed by a crash training aircraft. Back in November last year, at T-38 Heel crashed five miles northwest of the base in Del Rio, Texas, killing Capt. Paul Barbour.
"Everybody's hurting. Everybody, including me. That's our second loss in the last year, the second T-38 crash. Laughlin, teammates, airmen, family, friends, who are grieving the loss of John Graziano, and my heart goes out to his friends and family as they go through this difficult time in their lives. "
The cause of the crash has not been determined yet.
"Our investigators are doing everything possible to ensure they report this incident to the fullest." Said Gentile.
Laughlin Air Force Base has been investigating the Laughlin Air Force Base.
On Tuesday, the Laughlin Air Force Base posted on its official Facebook page: "An Air Force T-38 Talon Assaulted at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, crashed at approximately 7:40 p.m. [8:40 p.m. EST] today on base. Emergency staff are on the scene. "
The T-38 Talon jets are twin-engine supersonic flights manufactured by Northrop Grumman. The average age of the Northrop T-38s was approaching 50 years. In September, the Air Force struck $ 9.2 trillion contract with Boeing to build the service's future training pilots. However, new jets will only arrive at the training bases in the next decade.
T-38s, including the recent one, have been crashing in Texas, Oklahoma and Mississippi.
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