South Korea: Pilot error suspected in KF-16 Alaska accident
Seoul: Pilot error appears to have been behind a KF-16 fighter jet accident that occurred during air drills in Alaska earlier this week as the pilots mistakenly tried to take off from the taxiway rather than the runway, the South Korean Air Force said Thursday.
On Tuesday (US time), the two pilots ejected from the twin-seat fighter after an emergency situation occurred during takeoff from Eielson Air Force Base, when they attended the US-led multinational Red Flag air exercise. They did not suffer major injuries, but the jet was partially damaged due to a fire.
Citing a preliminary probe result, the Air Force said three KF-16s wrongly entered the taxiway instead of the runway as they prepared to take off to participate in air combat drills.
All four pilots of the three aircraft told investigators that they mistook the taxiway for the runway.
"The US Air Force air traffic control tower instructed the second aircraft to cancel takeoff upon seeing the first aircraft taking off from the taxiway, but the distance was insufficient ... prompting an emergency ejection," an Air Force official said.
The aircraft caught fire as it skidded to a stop in the grass near the end of the taxiway, according to the official.
The two pilots of the second aircraft appear to have ejected from the aircraft due to the fire, the official said, noting that the exact sequence of the events is currently under investigation. The exact cause of the fire currently remains unclear, Yonhap news agency reported.
As the accident did not occur due to a mechanical issue, the Air Force said it will resume training and operations of the KF-16.
"The Air Force has decided to continue to participate in the Red Flag exercise. Operation of the (KF-16) aircraft will resume Friday," the official said, apologising over the accident and vowing to come up with "effective" measures to prevent a similar accident.
The four pilots, however, will no longer take part in the exercise and cooperate with the investigation, according to the official.
The Air Force earlier grounded all KF-16 fighter jets and dispatched a 20-member team to Alaska to probe the accident and carry out emergency maintenance, amid efforts to determine the exact cause of the accident under close cooperation with the US side.
South Korea mobilised 11 aircraft, including six KF-16 fighters and the KC-330 transport plane, and some 100 airmen, for this year's Red Flag air exercise that runs through June 27.
Launched in 1975, the Red Flag-Alaska exercise is designed to provide realistic training in a simulated combat environment, according to the US military. South Korea has deployed fighter jets to the exercise since 2013, Yonhap news agency reported.
This week's accident took place about three months after two South Korean KF-16 fighter jets mistakenly bombed a town just south of the inter-Korean border, injuring 66 people, including 40 civilians.
The aircraft released live bombs outside of a designated training area as the pilots wrongly entered the target coordinates, according to the Air Force.
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