Two pilots safely ejected from a US Air Force T-38 Talon II aircraft during a training flight on Tuesday, according to a statement from Columbus Air Force Base.
The aircraft crashed in a wooded area of Lamar County, Alabama, near the Mississippi border.
ABC reporter Austin Pratt, who is on the scene, said both pilots have been transported to a medical facility and are being evaluated by medical staff.
The statement from the base read: “The cause of the mishap is currently unknown and will be investigated by a Safety Investigation Board.”
Columbus Air Force Base is home of the 14th Flying Training Wing of Air Education and Training Command’s 19th Air Force.
The wing’s mission focuses on specialized undergraduate pilot training in the T-6 Texan II, T-38C Talon and T-1A Jayhawk aircraft.
The incident follows a daring US rescue mission to recover the crew of “Dude 44,” an F-15E Strike Eagle downed over the rugged terrain of southwestern Iran.
After the aircraft was struck by a shoulder-fired missile, the pilot and weapons system officer were forced to eject into hostile territory, triggering the mission to bring them home before they could be captured by Iranian forces.
The high-stakes operation saw U.S. Special Operations forces and CIA operatives work together to locate the airmen in the mountains of Isfahan province.
While the pilot was snatched up quickly, the weapons system officer spent a harrowing 24 hours evading capture in a mountain crevice before being pulled out under heavy fire.
