USNA MIDSHIPMAN SUSTAINS NON-LIFE THREATENING INJURIES DURING AIRCRAFT INCIDENT AT EASTON AIRPORT

  POSTED ON: Thursday, June 24, 2021 4:48 PM by mediarelations@usna.edu

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – At approximately 11:15 this morning, a Trident Air single-engine aircraft piloted by a Naval Academy midshipman crashed in a field near Easton Airport in Easton, Maryland, while landing. The midshipman sustained non-life threatening injuries and was transported to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore for evaluation and treatment.  

The midshipman pilot, whose name is being withheld due to privacy, is a member of the Naval Academy’s Powered Flight Program (PFP), which provides midshipmen interested in eventually becoming naval aviators the opportunity to learn to fly prior to commissioning and beginning Naval Flight School. The pilot was soloing as part of his PFP syllabus. 

The midshipman was the only individual in the aircraft and the only person sustaining injuries in this accident. The cause of the accident is under investigation; the National Transportation Safety Board, Maryland State Police, and local firefighters responded to the incident.

The Naval Academy’s summer Powered Flight Program allows midshipmen interested in becoming naval aviators the opportunity to learn to fly and determine if it's the right fit for them before going to the Navy’s Flight School. PFP's objectives are aligned with Naval Air Training Command's Naval Introductory Flight Evaluation (NIFE) program. To complete the program, midshipmen undergo weeks of intensive training, memorization and instructor-led flights, ultimately resulting in a solo flight if they qualify.

For more information about the Naval Academy, please visit: www.usna.edu or our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/USNavalAcademy. 

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