Laughlin AFB Officials ID Pilot Killed In Jet Crash

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Laughlin AFB officials on Wednesday identified the pilot who died after the military trainer jet he was in crashed the previous day.

The dead pilot was identified as Capt. John, F. Graziano, 28, of Elkridge, Md. He was an instructor pilot with the 87th Flying Training Squadron at Laughlin AFB in Del Rio, Texas. The T-38 Talon supersonic jet Graziano was in crashed at around 7:40 p.m. on base.

A second instructor pilot was injured in the crash and was taken to the Val Verde Medical Center for treatment. He was identified on Wednesday as Capt. Mark S. Palyok, also with the 87th FTS. He has since been released from the hospital.

“Knowing how everyone is affected by this tragedy, my immediate concern is making sure that every member of our Laughlin family is okay,” said Col. Lee Gentile, 47th Flying Training Wing commander. “Together, we are Laughlin and now is the time that we stand together to take care of one another.”

The cause of the incident is under investigation, Gentile added: “Our investigators are doing everything possible to ensure they investigate this incident to the fullest.”

Previous story: Pilot Killed After Laughlin AFB Military Trainer Crash

The 87th Flying Training Squadron prepares student pilots and airmen for multi-domain operations, base officials explained. It conducts specialized undergraduate pilot training for the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard and allied nation’s air forces, officials added.

The incident marks the second crash of a military trainer at Laughlin AFB in one year, after another T-38 crashed near Lake Amistad just outside Del Rio on Nov. 20, 2017. A pilot was killed in that crash while a second escaped with minor injuries.

The incident also marked the fifth time a Talon has crashed in a span of 12 months.

In September, a T-38C veered off the runway at Sheppard AFB in the North Texas city of Wichita Falls. In that incident, both pilots on board were able to eject safely. The month before, another T-38 crashed at Vance AFB in Enid, Okla., according to a news release from the base. An instructor safely ejected without serious injury, but the aircraft was destroyed.

Since its original iteration in the 1950s, more than 210 aircraft losses and ejections have been documented over the lifetime of the T-38, according to the Wayback Machine website that documents ejections and losses. The Northrop T-38 Talon is a two-seat, supersonic jet that has the distinction of being the world's first supersonic trainer and the most widely produced aircraft of its kind.

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>>> Top image: A T-38 Talon participates in the 2004 Lackland Airfest. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Lance Cheung)