A T-45C Goshawk assigned to Training Air Wing One has crashed in Mississippi, with the two crew members onboard ejecting safely.
A U.S. Navy T-45C Goshawk training aircraft has crashed at approximately 12:30 p.m. CDT on May 26, 2026 on a private farmland in Noxubee County, Mississippi. The aircraft, assigned to Training Air Wing One (TW-1), went down for yet unknown reasons.
Two personnel assigned to TW-1 aboard the aircraft ejected safely and are currently being evaluated at a local medical center,” said the Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) Public Affairs in a statement. The statement added that local emergency services and military first responders are currently on the scene to secure the site.
The cause of the incident is under investigation. An unverified photo shows the supposed crash site, with some parts of the T-45 such as wing components and tail hook clearly visible in the crater on the ground.
Online flight tracking shows a T-45 whose signal interrupted over Noxubee County, the same area mentioned by CNATRA in the statement. That aircraft was showing the callsign “BOBCT62,” with Bobcat being a callsign commonly associated with VT-9 Tigers, one of TW-1’s squadrons. It is not possible at this time to verify if the aircraft tracked was indeed the one that crashed.
Meridian T-45C down, both pilots ejected safely. This looks to have possibly been 165601 (BOBCT62)#AE62D8https://t.co/eSYff3c3Sy pic.twitter.com/k8yEpS01de
— Nick ✈︎ (@N214WN) May 26, 2026
This incident represents the second U.S. military trainer lost this month. Earlier, on May 12, a T-38C Talon of the U.S. Air Force assigned to Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi, crashed in west Alabama.
Similarly to the T-45C incident, both pilots were able to eject safely before the crash. The causes of the crash are currently unknown, and the Air Force said it will be investigated by a Safety Investigation Board, with an operational pause for the T-38 announced on May 19.
Mishap rates
Statistics released on May 26, 2026, by the U.S. Naval Safety Command show that the Class A mishap number for Fiscal Year 2026 has already equaled the number for FY2025. A total of 12 mishaps is mentioned, which also include unmanned platforms such as the MQ-4C Triton lost in the Middle East.
Interestingly, the document also mention a decrease in the flight mishaps, which decreased from 11 to five. On the other hand, there was a sharp increase of the aviation ground mishaps from one to four.
Following the Growler collision and an MH-60 shipboard hard landing, the Navy’s FY26 Class A mishap total has already equaled all of FY25’s. Notably though, in-flight mishap rate is downhttps://t.co/TVcyzEKS6c pic.twitter.com/jin2658QyM
— Brian Everstine (@beverstine) May 26, 2026
Among the incidents which contributed to the statistics is the recent loss of two EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft assigned to the Growler Demonstration Team of the VAQ-129 “Vikings.” The jets were involved in a mid-air collision during the Gunfighter Skies Air Show at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, with all four crew members safely ejected.
Following the mishap, the service ordered a safety stand down for its four tactical aviation teams. In addition to the Growler Demonstration Team, there are the Rhino Demonstration Teams with F/A-18F Super Hornets assigned to the VFA-122 “Flying Eagles” and the VFA-106 “Gladiators” and the F-35C Demo Team of the VFA-125 “Rough Raiders.”
This is a developing story, further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
