The US Navy has identified the pilot who died in the crash of an A-29 Super Tucano aircraft at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, on June 22.
The pilot was identified as Lt. Christopher Carey Short, from Canandaigua, New York.
Short died when the A-29 aircraft he was piloting crashed while on a mission over the Red Rio Bombing Range, part of White Sands Missile Range, north of Holloman.
The training flight was part of the Air Force’s Light Attack Experiment.
The other aircrew member suffered minor injuries and was airlifted to a local hospital, according to the air force.
The crash is currently under investigation, and no cause has been determined at this time.
“There’s no way to to describe the shock of this loss and the sadness we feel for his family,” Col. Houston Cantwell, commander of Holloman’s 49th Wing, was quoted as saying on the air force base Facebook page. “He did pioneering work in aviation that will help shape American air power for years to come. We’re thankful to have known him and grateful for his devotion to duty.”
The Red Rio Bombing Range is part of the White Sands Missile Range, a US Army installation and the Department of Defense’s largest, open-air test range. Fire and police units from the White Sands Missile Range Directorate of Emergency Services initially responded to the report of the crash.