2 dead after military jet crashes near airport in Alabama

Two pilots died after a military jet crashed near an Alabama airport Friday evening during a training mission, officials said.

The aircraft landed in a wooded area near the Montgomery Regional Airport, according to airport executive director Marshall Taggart. The airport was notified of the crash shortly after 5 p.m. local time.

The T-38 trainer aircraft was assigned to the 14th Flying Training Wing, based out of Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi, the Air Force said in a statement.

First Lt. Scot Ames Jr., 24, from Pekin, Indiana, was identified by the training wing on Sunday as one of the pilots who died. Ames was an instructor pilot with the 50th Flying Training Squadron at Columbus Air Force Base.

The second pilot, Renshi Uesaki, 25, was identified Monday. Uesaki was a student pilot from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force who was attending undergraduate pilot training at Columbus.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation. A safety investigation board will be investigating, the Air Force said.