Air Force Captain from Colorado Springs dies in crash along I-70 in Kansas while on official duty

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The U.S. Air Force Academy is mourning the loss of a captain who died while on official duty from the Academy for advanced training.

According to the USAFA, 31-year-old Capt. Morgan Taylor of Phillipsburg, N.J., was killed in a car accident Saturday. The accident happened on I-70 east near Manhattan, Kan. The Academy said her vehicle was hit by another vehicle.

The USAFA said Taylor served in the U.S. Air Force Academy Judge Advocate office as the deputy chief of military justice. At the time of the accident, she had been selected for Squadron Officer School and was headed to Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. for a class that was scheduled to begin Monday.

Taylor earned her law degree from the University of Maine in 2019 and was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force following Officer Training School at Maxwell AFB in 2020.

During her time at the academy, she served in the USAFA Judge Advocate office as the deputy chief of military justice. Officials said she provided legal counsel to all mission elements including the superintendent, the headquarters staff, the commandant of cadets, the director of athletics, the preparatory school, and the 10th Air Base Wing.

The U.S. Air Force Academy Superintendent provided the following statement:

Captain Taylor was a bright light in our USAFA family and a highly respected officer. I’ve spoken to her family to express our deepest sympathies and to relay how incredibly special Morgan was to all of us. The entire USAFA family stands with our Judge Advocate teammates in this incredibly difficult time.

Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark, U.S. Air Force Academy Superintendent