The US Ministry of Defense reported the unfortunate passing of two navy pilots (an experienced instructor and a student pilot) during a training run with a T-45C Goshawk in East Tennessee.
On Sunday the aircraft had already been reported missing, but at that time there was no confirmation yet that it had been crashed.
In the past year, there have been two other incidents involving T-45C Goshawks, which might be pointing to a bigger problem with the plane.
The T-45 aircraft has a long history in the US Navy.
<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">T-45 Naval aircraft arriving from Kingsville to <a href="https://twitter.com/NASFortWorthJRB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASFortWorthJRB</a>. 35 total expected as <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Harvey?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Harvey</a> targets Texas coast. 16 here. <a href="https://twitter.com/wfaachannel8?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@wfaachannel8</a> <a href="https://t.co/afOjFLJLww">pic.twitter.com/afOjFLJLww</a></p>— David Goins (@dgoins) <a href="https://twitter.com/dgoins/status/900792977005654016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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This latest incident comes just a month after the Navy allowed the three training bases to resume flying the planes with students. It had been grounded in April after some 100 instructors all over the US had refused to fly it, because of concerns with the aircraft which created multiple hypoxia incidents in the cockpit (the loss of sufficient oxygen).
Over the past five years episodes linked to problems with the T-45's oxygen system have quadrupled, according to testimony from senior naval pilots.
The T-45 had been returned to air over the summer but with strict restrictions, such as a 5000-foot altitude limit, but training was limited to instructor flights only and no training, as Vice Admiral Paul Grosklags, commander of Naval Air Systems Command testified before congress.
At this moment, it remains unclear what exactly caused the latest deadly crash.
The (originally British built) T-45 has been used for decades by the navy. Int eh 1990s production was shifted to the US where both McDonnell Douglas and Boeing took over parts assembly. The original T-45A had an analog cockpit design, whereas the newer T-45C has a glass cockpit design. It would seem that is where the problems started.
Both McDonnell Douglas and Boeing have made pitched the T45 to overseas customers, with the Goshawk model each time in a trainer role.
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Corrective Note: The crash site is in the Telico Plains area of TN.
It is on the WESTERN side of the state