Two injured in aircraft accident at NAS Meridian

Two pilots were being treated for injuries after a T-45 Goshawk crashed during routine training Wednesday about 1:15 p.m. in a heavily-wooded area at Meridian Naval Air Station.

Metro Ambulance rushed to the base to take both to the hospital.

"Something happened, and they were both ejected," said Clayton Cobler, director of metro Ambulance. "One was complaining of leg pain; the other was complaining of neck pain."

The public affairs officer for NAS Meridian says the jet crashed during a routine training exercise.

Cobler says there's always an extra level of concern when they get calls out to local bases.

"Any time you hear airplane, you wonder how many people are involved, what's the severity?" he says.

But the student and instructor pilot were able to eject safely, with only minor injuries. Cobler says the situation easily could have been much worse.

"Of course, if the canopy was on and for some reason it didn't blow off, they could have gone through the canopy," he says. "I'm not sure if the canopy was pulled or not. If it was, then obviously, it did what it was supposed to."

Officials at NAS Meridian say they're not certain yet what caused this crash, but they are investigating.

"We just want to make sure our country's kept safe," Cobler says.

The T-45 was assigned to Training Air Wing One.