Two dead in US Navy Texan II crash

Two people are dead after a US Navy (USN) Beechcraft T-6B Texan II trainer aircraft crashed on 23 October, according to a service statement.

The USN identified the deceased as Lieutenant Rhiannon Ross, 30, from Wixom, Michigan, and US Coast Guard (USCG) Ensign Morgan Garrett, 24, from Weddington, North Carolina.

A US Navy Beechcraft T-6B Texan II pictured on 3 October 2019. Two died on 23 October 2020 when a T-6B crashed in Alabama on a training mission. (US Navy)

The T-6B crashed in a residential area of Foley, Alabama at about 6 pm EDT on 23 October. The USN said no civilians were injured as a result of the crash.

Lt Ross, an instructor pilot, and Ensign Garrett, a student aviator, took off from Naval Air Station (NAS) Whiting Field in Florida, on a routine training flight, the service said.

USN spokesperson Lieutenant Michell Tucker said on 26 October that the T-6B was assigned to Training Air Wing Five (TW-5), which has six squadrons, including three primary flight training squadrons (VT-2, VT-3, and VT-6). The USN, in the same wing, has three helicopter training squadrons; HT-8, HT-18, and HT-28; which Lt Tucker said are the only rotary wing training squadrons for undergraduate pilot training.

Ensign Garrett, Lt Tucker said, was assigned to VT-2 at NAS Whiting Field. The USN trains all USCG undergraduate student pilots.