Two pilots eject when Air Force jet veers off runway in Texas

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (AP) – The U.S. Air Force says two pilots were injured slightly after ejecting when a twin-jet training aircraft veered off a runway before takeoff at a northwestern Texas Air Force base.

Officials say the accident involved a T-38 Talon aircraft. It happened shortly after 10 a.m. Tuesday at Sheppard Air Force Base near Wichita Falls, Texas.

The aircraft was assigned to the 80th Flying Training Wing based at Sheppard.

Officials identified the pilots as Maj. Christian C. Hartmann of the Luftwaffe, the German air force, and 1st Lt. Charles T. Walet of the U.S. Air Force. He’s assigned to Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma, and was on temporary duty at Sheppard.

Last month, a pilot ejected safely from a T-38 Talon that crashed in western Oklahoma.