An OA-1K Skyraider II — Air Force Special Operations Command’s new aircraft — crashed in a field in Oklahoma City on Thursday afternoon, the Oklahoma National Guard said in a statement.
Two crew members — an active-duty airman and a civilian contractor — were on a training mission, and there were no reported injuries, according to the Guard’s statement in a post on Facebook.
“Two people onboard walked away safely after the plane hit two power poles and sparked a small grass fire,” the Oklahoma City Fire Department said in a post on X.
The aircraft and crew are assigned to the 492nd Special Operations Wing and operate out of the Will Rogers Air National Guard Base in Oklahoma City.
The crash is under investigation.
The 492nd Special Operations Wing is one of the key operators of the Skyraider II. It is a crop-duster style aircraft modified to perform armed overwatch and intelligence gathering for special operators.
The first mission-ready Skyraider II was delivered in April to Air Force Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field, Fla. The 492nd Special Operations Wing is based at Hurlburt.
The Skyraider II’s distinguishable tailwheel feature has required test evaluators to devise a new methodology to verify its performance. This specifically required extra pilot training with the Skyraider II’s civilian variant, the AT-802, to learn to fly the tailwheel aircraft effectively.
Officials expect that the Skyraider II will be able to replace two aging Air Force Special Operations Command aircraft — the U-28 Draco and MC-12 manned intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance planes, which are expected to be retired by the end of the decade.
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