Miss. Wing Provides AFB Crash Site Photos

The Mississippi Wing provided geotagged aerial photos of a crash site this afternoon on short notice after a T-38 Talon trainer from Columbus Air Force Base crashed on takeoff about a half-mile off the end of the runway.

After learning of the 8:30 a.m. crash, in which the instructor pilot and student pilot ejected safely with minimal injuries, Mississippi Wing Commander Col. David A. "Hank" Rogers called to offer the wing’s support to its incident commander, Lt. Col. Michael Hainsey, director of Golden Triangle Regional Airport as well as a member of the Golden Triangle Composite Squadron.

About 1 p.m. Hainsey responded to a request for a photo sortie by contacting Senior Member Philip Poeppelman, mission pilot, and Maj. Zach Rowland, aerial photographer, who told him they could be at the airport within an hour.

Within 30 minutes of submitting the necessary information to Civil Air Patrol’s National Operations Center, Hainsey received mission approval from the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. Golden Triangle squadron members Poeppelman and Rowland provided the requested photos after about 40 minutes aloft in a CAP Cessna 172, ending their mission about 3:30 p.m.

“The bottom line is everyone was very mission-oriented -- an outstanding example of how CAP can respond to and meet Air Force taskings on a short notice,” Hainsey said.