A former instructor at Sheppard Air Force Base and his brother with local connections died in a Sunday evening plane crash in Abilene.
Air Force Maj. Richard “Tracer” Schafer III, 35, of Columbus Mississippi, and Matthew Taylor Schafer, 28, of Abilene, died when the Foxtrot 4, a small home-built airplane they were flying crashed.
The brothers were the sons of local homebuilder Rick Schafer and wife Beth.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the accident.
A preliminary report is expected to be released sometime next week, but it could take between six months to a year for a more in depth factual report to be done, said Tom Latson, NTSB aircraft accident investigator.
Another adult was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries. Also, a child passanger was transported to the hospital with minor injuries, Latson said.
Richard Schafer was an instructor pilot assigned to Columbus Air Force Base. He was flying his plane, which was licensed in Mississippi, while on vacation with his family, a release from the Columbus Air Force Base stated.
More information will be available in the next issue of the Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post.