The U-2 that went down shortly after 9:05 a.m.is a two-seater, officials said this means it’s a training aircraft. One pilot is confirmed deceased, while the other sustained injuries.
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“Everything about the flight today was a routine flight”, Colonel Larry Broadwell said.
The aircraft was assigned to the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, part of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, where U-2 fleet is based and its 33 planes are deployed to military detachments around the world.
“We are deeply saddened by the death of one of our U-2 pilots from Beale Air Force Base”, Gen. David L. Goldfein said in a statement.
First responders rushed to Sutter Buttes, California, to put out a fire caused by a military plane crash on Tuesday, September 20.
A still photo shows the burning wreckage of the downed U-2 spy plane, littered across a section of the Sutter Buttes.
“I would match the safety and maintenance records of a U-2 with any other aircraft the Air Force flies”.
A military plane crashed during a training flight Tuesday morning about 45 miles north of Sacramento, just west of Yuba City. Military officials have not released the pilots’ names or any information about the condition of the surviving airman. Investigators found a parachute near the scene of the crash. Duane Dively, a pilot from Beale Air Force Base who was deployed to the Middle East. Operational U-2 planes are single-seater aircraft, but there are five two-seater versions used to train new pilots. Two pilots were onboard and ejected the aircraft.
The U-2 is slated for retirement in 2019 as the military relies increasingly on unmanned aircraft for intelligence gathering, though senior USA lawmakers from California are pressuring the Air Force to delay the retirement.
The spy plane crashed into a parking lot outside the offices of the Oroville Mercury Register, killing the pilot and a woman on the ground.
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Cooper reported from Sacramento, California.
