Investigators say they are not yet sure why the plane crashed just after taking off from Beagle Air Force Base north of Sacramento.
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The lost TU-2S was one of five two-seat versions of the high-altitude surveillance aircraft in the USAF fleet.
“The aircraft was assigned to 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, Beale Air Force Base, California and was on a training mission”, the statement said.
U-2s, with their large sweeping wingspan, are difficult to fly and even harder to land and takeoff – requiring high-powered muscle cars manned by fellow U-2 pilots to follow and spot for them while the aircraft is on the runway.
The U-2 is routinely flown at altitudes over 70,000 feet and their pilots must wear a full pressure suit similar to those used by astronauts, according to an Air Force fact sheet. The cause of the crash is now being investigated.
The airplane originated out of Beale Air Force Base outside of Marysville. “I am confident that the U-2 squadrons here and the U-2 squadrons around the world are going to come off the mat stronger than they were before”.
“Everything about the flight today was a routine flight”, Colonel Larry Broadwell said.
As of 12:40 p.m., the fire burned 250 acres and was 80 percent contained, Sutter County Fire Chief John Shalowitz said. Roby ejected from the plane but was found dead in his seat at the end of the parachute.
The pilot who survived is being treated, but officials haven’t given his condition.
U-2 flights flew over the Soviet Union in the late 1950s.
A U-2 Dragon Lady has crashed near the Sutter Butttes @ approximately 9am this morning. A customer in the parking lot, Geraldine Marie Vering, was killed in the explosion. The U-2 provides imagery and electronic measurements, according to the Air Force. Those so-called “class A” mishaps are accidents that cause more than $2 million in damage or cause a permanent injury to an airman. Chuck Jones was one of the first to the scene and took the picture.
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The blaze at Vandenberg Air Force Base expanded to the south Tuesday as it grew to more than 16 square miles. The board is expected to consist of officers from Beale Air Force Base and from the Air Force Safety Center, which oversee all inspection and safety functions for the Air Force.
