US Air Force pilot ejects safely after A-29 Super Tucano plane crashes in northern Afghanistan
A US Air Force pilot flying an Afghan Air Force A-29 Super Tucano ejected safely before the aircraft crashed during a July 9 training flight in Afghanistan.
The pilot, who has not been identified, was on a training flight on July 9 when the crash occurred, a spokesman for U.S. Forces-Afghanistan said in a statement.
The cause of the mishap is under investigation, preliminary indications show mechanical issues are to blame.
The single-engine turboprop Super Tucanos are Afghanistan’s primary fixed-wing combat aircraft. It has two seats, but can be flown by one pilot.
The Afghan Air Force currently has 25 A-29s, 10 of which are based in the United States as part of a pilot training program. Nearly 30 Afghan pilots are qualified to fly the aircraft.
This is the first A-29 crash since a pilot died in a June 22, 2018 incident near Holloman Air Force Base.