---
title: "Yet Another USAF T-38 Talon Trainer Has Crashed, The Fifth In 12 Months (Updated)"
description: "The USAF has experienced a year plagued by crashes, but the T-38 Talon trainer community has been the hardest hit of all."
date: "2018-11-13"
modified: "2018-11-14"
authors:
  - name: "Tyler Rogoway"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/tyler-rogoway.md"
url: "https://www.twz.com/24910/yet-another-usaf-t-38-talon-trainer-has-crashed-the-fifth-in-12-months"
categories:
  - "Air"
  - "Air Forces"
  - "Americas"
  - "Around The Globe"
  - "News & Features"
  - "T-38"
  - "Trainers"
  - "U.S. Air Force"
  - "U.S. Homeland"
tags:
  - "Crash"
  - "Laughlin AFB"
  - "Mishap"
  - "T-38"
  - "T-38C"
  - "Talon"
  - "Texas"
---

# Yet Another USAF T-38 Talon Trainer Has Crashed, The Fifth In 12 Months (Updated)

![](<https://www.twz.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-twz/content/2018/11/ccc1111.jpg>)
*www.twz.com*

Details remain very thin, but according to Laughlin Air Force Base a T-38 Talon crashed on base at approximately 7:40pm local time. We have no information at this time on the circumstances surrounding the mishap or if the pilot (or pilots) onboard made it out.

This is the fifth Talon crash in the past 12 months and the type has made up roughly half of USAF aircraft losses this year, which have been disturbingly numerous. The last major mishap involving a T-38 occurred [just last September when](<https://www.twz.com/23508/pilots-eject-after-air-force-t-38-talon-jet-veers-off-runway-4th-talon-loss-in-10-months.md>) a T-38C veered off the runway at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas. In that instance, both pilots onboard were able to escape safely.

![message-editor%2F1542167124766-ccca111.jpg](<https://www.twz.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1542167124766-ccca111.jpg>)
**Official Facebook post**

The T-38C force has received a number of major upgrades over its lifetime, but the average age of jets is approaching 50 years. The USAF has announced the aircraft's replacement, [Boeing's entrant into the T-X](<https://www.twz.com/23898/boeings-t-x-win-is-really-much-bigger-than-just-building-a-replacement-for-the-t-38.md>) program, but the new jets won't arrive at training bases until well into the coming decade.

We will update this post with more info as it comes available.

***Update: 11pm PST—***

I hate writing this, but Laughlin AFB has officially announced that one of the pilots is dead and one is receiving treatment at a nearby hospital. See the official statement below.

![message-editor%2F1542178849733-ddd1111.jpg](<https://www.twz.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1542178849733-ddd1111.jpg>)
**Official Facebook post**

We still have no information as to the circumstances surrounding the accident at this time.

*Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com*

## Author
Tyler’s passion is the study of military technology, strategy, as well as foreign policy, and he has fostered a dominant voice on those topics in the defense and national security space. Tyler was the creator of the hugely popular defense site *Foxtrot Alpha* before developing *TWZ*, which he continues to lead as the Editor-In-Chief to this day.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/Aviation_Intel>)