Seguin, Texas: Two Air Force Pilots Eject Safely From a T-6A Texan II After a Hard Landing

Two Air Force pilots ejected safely from a T-6A Texan II training aircraft near Seguin, Texas, on Thursday evening, Joint Base San Antonio said. The controlled bailout took place at about 5:51 p.m. local time at an uncontrolled airfield, after a hard landing and warnings that the landing gear was unsafe.

The sequence, as officials described it, was deliberate rather than sudden. After receiving unsafe landing gear indications, the pilots consulted with experts on the ground, and those experts recommended that the crew leave the aircraft. "After receiving unsafe landing gear indications, the pilots consulted with experts, who recommended the crew conduct a controlled bailout," Joint Base San Antonio said in its release, as reported by KTSA in San Antonio and FOX 7 in Austin.

The response on the ground

The Wilson County Sheriff's Office responded near Nockenut Road and Lynn Drive, close to the Guadalupe-Wilson county line, KTSA reported. Authorities said there was no threat to the public.

Both pilots are assigned to the 12th Flying Training Wing at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph. Officials said the pair were being evaluated by medical personnel. Their names were not released, and officials did not immediately disclose their conditions.

The aircraft and the wing

The T-6A Texan II is a single-engine, two-seat airplane used to train pilots for both the Air Force and the Navy, according to the Air Force. It is the primary trainer in which student pilots learn basic flying skills. AVweb reported that the aircraft is powered by a 1,100-horsepower Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6A-68 engine and has tandem seating and ejection seats, the equipment that let both pilots get out on Thursday.

The 12th Flying Training Wing, based at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, trains the next generation of aviators for the Air Force. Air Education and Training Command describes the wing as a unit that "develops the next generation of Air Force aviators and enlisted aircrew by providing world-class flying training and education." Seguin is about 35 miles east of San Antonio.

What is not known yet

Officials have not said what became of the aircraft after the bailout, and they have not said whether the gear warning came from a mechanical failure or from a fault in the indication system itself. AVweb noted that the Air Force had not released that information. Joint Base San Antonio said additional information was not immediately available.

What is confirmed is the outcome that matters most to the families and to the community under the flight path. Two pilots went up on a training flight on Thursday, the aircraft told them its landing gear could not be trusted, and both pilots came down alive and under evaluation on Thursday night.