Names Released on Two Airmen Killed at Vance

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VANCE AFB, OK - Col. Corey Simmons, Commander of the 71st Flying Training Wing, addressed the media on Thursday at Vance AFB. He gave an update on the mishap between two Air Force T-38 Talons that resulted in the deaths of two pilots.
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Deceased is Lt. Col. John “Matt” Kincade, 47, an instructor pilot assigned to the 5th Flying Training Squadron. He is survived by his wife and two sons.
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Also deceased is 2nd Lt. Travis B. Wilkie, 23, a student pilot assigned to the 71st Student Squadron. He is survived by his wife, parents and sister.
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Simmons said that at about 9:10 am Thursday morning, two T-38 Talon jets were performing a formation training flight when they were involved in a aircraft mishap during the landing phase of the mission.
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Simmons said, "It breaks my heart to state at two of our Vance family members were killed in this mishap. Our biggest priority at this time is caring for the family and the friends of our fallen."
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Vance officials will release the names of the deceased tomorrow 24 hours after next-of-kin notification has been made. The pilots of the other aircraft were reported to have no injuries.
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Simmons reported that they were able to recover the remains of the fallen pilots and so that was a really important thing for him.
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A full safety board will now go through the data in the next 30 to 60 days before wrapping up the investigation. The jet was piloted by a flight instructor and a student pilot.
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Simmons didn't want to speculate on what might have caused the mishap and said they would wait on the full investigation. He said, "Our first priority at this moment is the family."
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Vance experienced a mishap last August when a pilot had to eject when his aircraft was hit by a bird. Before August it was 2000 before the last Class A type mishap at Vance.
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On a general aviation day, Vance has somewhere between 800 and 1,000 landings with approximately 225 missions per day. Simmons stated, "Our safety record is exemplary."
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Flight operations were shut down for the day and flights were to be canceled for Friday. Simmons was going to make a final decision over the weekend as to when flight operations would begin again.
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Simmons speculated that it would take approximately 30 days to do the investigation and 30 days to write the report.
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Col. Corey Simmons updating the press after two pilots died in a mishap.
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Screen grab from News 9 KWTV live video over Vance AFB.
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