Student pilot dies in training ‘mishap’ at Texas base, Air Force says
A student pilot was killed during a training incident at a Texas Air Force base last week, the Laughlin base said.
Two other pilots were injured during the incident.
Second Lt. Anthony D. Wentz, a 23-year-old student pilot, was killed during the Nov. 19 incident with two T-38c Talon trainer aircraft at the base, the 47th Flying Training Wing said.
One of the injured pilots was taken to a nearby hospital and was treated and released, the Air Force release said. The other pilot was airlifted to a medical center in San Antonio and was in critical condition.
Wentz was from Falcon, Colorado, and graduated from high school in 2016 before heading to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York, The Denver Gazette reported.
Back in 2016, Wentz told The Gazette he wanted to follow in his father and brother’s footsteps. His father was in the Air Force, he said, and his brother studied at West Point as a mechanical engineer.
“I’ve been doing a lot of running, pushups, situps and pullups, and will try to enjoy my freedom while I still have it,” Wentz told The Gazette about military training. “It’s going (to) be a tough, crazy four years, but I can do it.”
The release said an investigation into the “mishap” is ongoing.
“Losing teammates is unbelievably painful and it is with a heavy heart I express my sincere condolences,” Col. Craig Prather, 47th Flying Training Wing commander, said in the release. “Our hearts, thoughts, and prayers are with our pilots involved in this mishap and their families.”
This story was originally published November 22, 2021 at 12:42 PM with the headline "Student pilot dies in training ‘mishap’ at Texas base, Air Force says."
