T-45C instructor was flat-hatting before fatal crash

A T-45C from VT-7 crashed on Oct. 1, 2017, in rural Tennessee. The crash killed the instructor and student. An investigation board had determined that pilot error was the cause and the instructor was flat hatting during the flight.

By U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Clemente A. Lynch [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Investigators also blamed the culture within VT-7 for the crash. Instructors and students at the unit were found to have been flying their jets beyond the limits set by the curriculum. They also question whether the instructor, who was a former E-2 pilot, was ever qualified to fly the T-45C or teach low-level flights.