4th Class Cadet Timothy Barber died Saturday when the private aircraft piloted by his father, retired Air Force pilot Greg Barber, collided with another airplane in midair near McKinney, Texas. Barber’s father and the pilot of the other aircraft died as well, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported. “This is a tragedy for the Barbers and for those of us in their Air Force family. Our thoughts are with them as well as with their friends and loved ones,” said Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson, in an Academy release. “This is profoundly sad news for all of us at the Air Force Academy. We stand ready to support Cadet Barber’s family and also have resources at the ready to help cadets and staff to weather our loss.” While the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the accident, both aircraft were flying from a small airfield without traffic controllers.
Boeing received a $2.47 billion Air Force contract Nov. 25 for 15 more KC-46s, bringing to 183 the number of Pegasus tankers on contract to all customers, foreign and domestic. The new contract—for Lot 12 of the initially planned KC-46 buy—is to be completed by 2029.
