T-38 Talon COOL48 Executes Go-Around Then Unstable Approach Into KAFW

ADS-B data reviewed by SkyMeter shows T-38 Talon 66-4379, flying under callsign COOL48 (flight 48), departed Laughlin Air Force Base (KDLF) at 4:52 p.m. local time (21:52 UTC) on August 14, 2026, bound for Alliance Fort Worth Airport (KAFW). The jet climbed steeply out of Del Rio, Texas, reaching a peak altitude of 24,665 feet before beginning a descent toward the San Angelo area, where it executed a series of course reversals.

During the initial approach sequence near San Angelo Regional Mathis Field, the aircraft descended from cruise altitude and entered what the data labels a stabilized approach, but at about 5:28 p.m. local time the track shows a sharp climb from roughly 2,461 feet at a vertical speed exceeding 8,200 feet per minute, indicating a go-around. The aircraft climbed back to approximately 18,800 feet and flew a northeast heading toward the Fort Worth area for roughly 22 minutes before beginning its final descent.

The approach into KAFW proved problematic. SkyMeter's analysis flagged an unstable approach with a stability score of 41. The recorded track shows the aircraft descending through 1,840 feet at 6:03 p.m. local time at a descent rate of around 3,000 feet per minute while still turning, with heading changes spanning from roughly 259 degrees to 172 degrees in the final minute of the track. The track ends at 6:04 p.m. local time at 979 feet and 159 knots, still in a descent of nearly 2,000 feet per minute. The full flight, covering a route from Del Rio to the Fort Worth area with a peak ground speed of 502 knots, can be replayed on SkyMeter.