The T-38 Talon fighter jet that crashed in Mississippi last November was caused after the plane collided with a bird, shattering its canopy and causing debris to be sucked into the plane’s engines, which failed soon after.
The pilot, an instructor on a training flight, was forced to eject and landed in a forest where he sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The crash was detailed in an incident report released by the US Air Force earlier this month. The plane was completely destroyed and cost an estimated $8.5 million, the report noted.
“The bird hit the cockpit canopy, shattering it upon impact," the report reads. "Pieces of the shattered canopy were ingested into both engines. The left engine immediately failed, and shortly after stopped spinning or working altogether.”
The pilot was previously described by the Air Force Base Vice Wing Commander as “highly experienced and capable.” The report added that avoiding the bird would have been impossible for the pilot. It further notes that “the greatest risk for the training identified was a possible bird strike.”