Japan air force officer, U.S. instructor killed in U.S. plane crash

[February 20, 2021]    TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese air force officer and a U.S. Air Force instructor pilot were killed in a crash in Alabama, Japan's Air Self-Defense Force said on Saturday.

The Japanese second lieutenant and the U.S. instructor crashed around 8 a.m. Japan time on Saturday (5 p.m. CST, 2300 GMT on Friday) as their T-38 was about to land at the Montgomery airport, the Japanese force said in a statement.

The lieutenant was learning maneuvering and other skills in the U.S. Air Force curriculum to become a fighter pilot, said Japanese public broadcaster NHK, citing defence ministry sources.

The statement, which did not name the two, said details of the accident are being investigated.

(Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by William Mallard)

[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.