U2 spy plane crash in California kills pilot, injures another

The pilot who was killed when a U-2 crashed shortly after takeoff September 20 has been identified as Lt. Col. Ira S. Eadie, according to Air Force officials.

While Sutter County firefighters fought the wildfire started by the crash, police searched for the pilots alongside approximately 60 people from Beale Air Force Base.

The injured co-pilot suffered non-life-threatening injuries and is recovering at a local hospital.

Col. Larry Broadwell, Commander of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale, gave tribute to the U-2 program at a press conference at the base Tuesday afternoon.

The last time a Lockheed U-2 crashed in the area was on August 7, 1996, in Oroville, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In a similar incident in 1996, another U-2 pilot from Beale died after trying to eject his plane.

All of the USA military’s U-2 planes are stationed at Beale Air Force Base.

There are 33 active U-2 planes in the U.S. today, according to the U.S. Air Force website.

The Air Force has not released the identity of the pilot or information about the condition of a comrade who survived. There’s no timeline for investigators to conclude their probe. “In fact, we are going to continue flying U-2 missions around the world and around the clock”, said Broadwell.

Air Force’s fleet of single-seat U-2s and a double-seat variant are used to train pilot at the Beale Air Force Base to fly the specialized aircraft.

Beale spokesman Airman Tristan Viglianco said it was not immediately known if the pilot had died during the unsafe eject procedure or after. The Soviet Union shot down a U-2 and captured pilot Frances Gary Powers in 1960.

The Air Force completed its initial response to the crash around 4 p.m. Tuesday. The captain who was under instruction in the twin-seat trainer version of the U-2 was found in the desert.