Air Force pilot ejects as jet trainer crashes in Oklahoma

MUTUAL, Okla. – Officials say an Air Force pilot ejected successfully before a jet trainer crashed in western Oklahoma.

Air Force officials say the twin-jet T-38 Talon from Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma, crashed around 1:45 p.m. Friday about 70 miles west of the base near Chester, Oklahoma, a community of about 120 residents.

Vance officials say emergency responders arrived at the crash site to find the pilot sitting upright and drinking water with a farmer. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says the pilot ejected after developing engine trouble at an altitude of 2,000 feet.

The Woodward News reports the jet exploded on impact, setting fire to a pasture.

Neither the pilot’s identity nor cause of the crash has been released. An Air Force investigative team has been dispatched to the scene.