A training flight at Laughlin Air Force Base turned tense Thursday afternoon when a T-6A Texan II came in for a landing with its nose gear up. The aircraft, assigned to the 47th Flying Training Wing, ended up on its nose, but both pilots climbed out on their own, and no injuries were reported.
What The Base Posted
The mishap was first shared on the Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland Facebook page. According to Fox San Antonio, the landing happened at about 1:43 p.m. while the aircraft was operating out of Laughlin. Officials said the two pilots exited safely and confirmed that the incident remains under investigation.
Aircraft And Training Context
The T-6A Texan II is the Air Force’s turboprop primary trainer used in early pilot instruction. Student pilots spend significant time in the cockpit of this aircraft as part of their first phase of flying and procedures training. The 47th Flying Training Wing at Laughlin regularly operates the Texan II as part of undergraduate pilot training, according to DVIDS.
Investigation Underway
Base officials have not released any immediate cause or a public damage assessment, and say the incident is under investigation, per Fox San Antonio. The Air Force typically uses Safety Investigation Boards to look into mishaps and relies on privileged safety information to encourage candid reporting during those inquiries, the Air Force Safety Center explains.
Not The First Gear-Up Scare In San Antonio
Gear-up, or “belly,” landings are rare but not unheard of around Joint Base San Antonio. In 2018 a C-5 cargo jet landed without its nose gear at Lackland in an incident that was investigated by base officials, as reported by the San Antonio Express-News.
Laughlin and Lackland officials have not released further technical details on Thursday’s T-6A landing. The Air Force has said it will provide findings when appropriate. We will update this story if officials publish more information.
