Japan air force officer, US instructor killed in plane crash in Alabama

The lieutenant was learning manoeuvring and other skills in the US Air Force curriculum to become a fighter pilot, said Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

A Japanese air force officer and a US Air Force instructor pilot were killed in a crash in Alabama, Japan's Air Self-Defense Force said on Saturday.

A T-38 Trainer aircraft takes off from Edwards Air Force Base in California in 2005. (File Photo / REUTERS)

The Japanese second lieutenant and the US instructor crashed around 8am Japan time on Saturday (5pm CST, 2300 GMT on Friday) as their T-38 was about to land at the Montgomery airport, the Japanese force said in a statement.

The lieutenant was learning manoeuvring and other skills in the US Air Force curriculum to become a fighter pilot, said Japanese public broadcaster NHK, citing defence ministry sources.

The statement, which did not name the two, said details of the accident are being investigated.