DALLAS — A military training aircraft crashed into a residential area of Lake Worth Sunday, injuring two pilots and damaging three homes, officials said.
A T-45C Goshawk jet crashed around 10:50 a.m. in between the 4000 blocks of Tejas and Dakota trails during a routine training flight from Corpus Christi International Airport, Lake Worth police and the Naval Air Training Command said.
The jet’s two pilots — an instructor and a naval student — ejected from the aircraft, according to the Naval Air Training Command. Lake Worth Fire Chief Ryan Arthur said responders found one pilot tangled in power lines, hanging by a parachute, and the other pilot was found near the crash site. Both pilots were taken to hospitals.
The Naval Air Training Command said the instructor is in stable condition, and the student’s condition is unknown, but he is alive and receiving medical attention.
“Our hearts go out to these military members and their families,” Lake Worth Police Chief J.T. Manoushagian said at a news conference. “I would imagine for a pilot this is the day that you dread, that you hope never comes.”
The crash site is just north of the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, an area previously designated by the military as being in a “accident potential zone” because it’s on approach or departure from the base, according to Manoushagian.
The plane crashed into a backyard, and a small, contained fire erupted from the impact, Arthur said. No residents were injured, but three houses sustained damage.
“It’s very fortunate; it could have been a lot worse,” Arthur said.
Arthur and Manoushagian said a nearby middle school and local hospitals were not affected by the crash. However, the two- to three-block area surrounding the crash lost power, and Arthur estimated it could be a few days before power is restored.
The American Red Cross arrived to assist the community and those who were displaced from their homes, and federal, state and local authorities were at the scene, helping to clear debris.
No further details about why the plane crashed were immediately available.
