A T-6 Texan II trainer aircraft assigned to the 47th Flying Training Wing at Laughlin AFB, Tex., crashed Friday near the base during an undergraduate training sortie. The Del Rio News-Herald reported that witnesses saw both the student pilot and instructor eject from the T-6 before it skidded on the ground into a cloud of dust near Spofford, Tex. Laughlin officials said the instructor pilot and student were both safe. A board of officers will investigate the mishap. (Laughlin report by George McKnight)
Navy Adm. Samuel J. Paparo Jr. assumed leadership of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, succeeding Navy Adm. John Aquilino at a change of command ceremony, urging action amid China's “increasing intrusive and expansionist claims,” on May 3