Yesterday morning, 9.05 am local time, a U-2 'Dragonlady' spy plane took off from Beale Air Force Base crashed near Sutter County, northern California.
Both pilots managed to eject, but, according to the information initially released by the base personnel and then confirmed by the col. Larry Broadwell, commander of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, one of the pilots died due to his injuries. The nature of the incident involving this U-2 with two-seat configuration for training (4 specimens produced) is not yet known.
The latest indicator on this type of aircraft was recorded on June 21, 2005, when a U-2 crashed on its way back from a mission in the skies of Afghanistan. The pilot lost his life.
On January 26, 2003 another U-2 Dragon Lady crashed near Osan's base. The pilot, who even managed to eject himself, survived the accident.
