A U-2 spy plane crash in Northern California injured one airman and claimed the life of another on Tuesday.
The U.S. Air Force said two pilots flying the iconic aircraft ejected around 9 a.m. local time before it crashed in Sutter County, roughly 50 miles north of Sacramento. The plane was part of 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base in California.
Air Force Times confirmed that the pilot who died was a lieutenant colonel, while the injured officer was a captain who was interviewing to become a U-2 pilot.
U-2s, which made their first flights in 1955, are capable of climbing to 70,000 feet. The plane has recently see action in Iraq and Afghanistan, and defense giant Lockheed Martin is examining ways to turn the “Dragon Lady” into a laser-equipped drone.
“The Cold War spy plane’s structural integrity, modular payload bays, high power output and open mission system architecture has made it ideal for accommodating experimental payloads over the years. But Lockheed won’t confirm if it has actually chosen the GE F118-powered U-2S as its preferred airborne testbed,” Aviation Week reported Aug. 16.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.