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Air Force instructor pilot killed when ejection seat activated on ground
An Air Force instructor pilot was killed Tuesday, when the ejection seat activated while the aircraft was still on the ground, the military branch said.
The unidentified pilot was assigned to the 80th Flying Training Wing at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas, the Air Force said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
The pilot was inside a T-6A Texan II, a single-engine two-seat aircraft that serves as a primary trainer for Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps pilots. The ejection seat activated during ground operations, the Air Force said.
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A T-6A Texan II is used to train specialized undergraduate pilots at Vance Air Force Base, Okla., in April 2018. An Air Force instructor pilot in Texas was killed Tuesday, when the ejection seat in the aircraft activated while on the ground. (Department of Defense)
The pilot’s name was withheld until notification of the next of kin.
Ejection seats have been credited with saving pilots’ lives, but they also have failed at critical moments in aircraft accidents, The Associated Press reported. Investigators identified ejection seat failure as a partial cause of an F-16 crash that killed 1st Lt. David Schmitz, 32, in June 2020.
A team of T-6A Texan II’s fly over Texas. (Department of Defense)
In 2018, four members of a B-1 bomber crew earned the Distinguished Flying Cross when, with their aircraft on fire, they discovered one of the four ejection seats was indicating failure.
Instead of bailing out, all the crew decided to remain in the burning aircraft and land it, so they all would have the best chance of surviving. The crew survived.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
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A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bill Robles) -
The U.S. Dept. of Justice booking photo of Jonathan Rinderknecht over the Palisades Fire devastation in Malibu, California in January 2025 (AP).
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
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