2 crew killed in U.S. Navy training plane crash in Alabama identified

A Navy photo shows a T-6B Texan II aircraft taxiing at Naval Air Station Whiting Field.
A Navy photo shows a T-6B Texan II aircraft taxiing at Naval Air Station Whiting Field.

NAS WHITING FIELD, Fla. – A U.S. Navy training plane from Naval Air Station Whiting Field crashed at approximately 5 p.m. Friday in Magnolia Springs, Alabama, killing both crew members on board, according to Cmdr. Zach Harrell, a spokesman for the office of the commander of Naval Air Forces.

The Navy "is not aware of any civilian casualties at this time," according to a brief statement on the Naval Air Forces' Facebook page, and the "Navy is cooperating fully with local authorities."

The two crew members were identified Sunday as U.S. Navy Lt. Rhiannon Ross, 30, of Wixom, Michigan, and U.S. Coast Guard Ensign Morgan Garrett, 24, of Weddington, North Carolina.

The aircraft that crashed was a T-6B Texan II training plane. According to the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office in Alabama, no civilians on the ground were injured, although a home in the area did catch fire as a result of the crash.

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Baldwin County Sheriff's Office and fire units were called to the scene, but the Sheriff's Office was deferring further comment on the incident to military authorities.

"DOD (Department of Defense) and Navy personnel will be handling the investigation and will provide further updates," the Sheriff's Office noted Friday evening via Twitter.

Magnolia Springs is approximately 100 miles southwest of Whiting Field, just west of Foley, Alabama, and between the Alabama towns of Fairhope and Gulf Shores.

Whiting Field is a primary initial training location for Navy aviators.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Alabama plane crash: 2 crew killed in U.S. Navy training plane crash