IANS | 17 May, 2024
A US F-16 fighter jet crash incident in South Korea in May of last
year occurred due to a partial power loss experienced by the aircraft
and weather conditions at the time, a US Air Force unit stationed in the
country said Friday.
On May 6, 2023, the single-engine fighter jet assigned to the 8th
Fighter Wing (FW) of the US 7th Air Force crashed into farmland near
Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometres south of Seoul, shortly after
take-off, Yonhap news agency reported.
The pilot ejected safely, with no serious injuries or fatalities being reported.
After
a yearlong investigation, the US Air Force's Accident Investigation
Board found the jet experienced the power loss about 11 seconds after
take-off, resulting in inaccurate information being displayed on its
flying instruments, according to a 7th Air Force release.
That
left the pilot spatially disoriented as the weather conditions at the
time limited the pilot to solely relying on the instruments to maintain
aircraft control, it said.
As the jet flew to a very low altitude,
the pilot ejected at 710 feet (216 metres) above ground level, while
the aircraft plunged into the ground, resulting in its total loss.
The
investigation board noted that the absence of either the power loss or
the weather conditions may have prevented the crash, according to the
release.
The incident marked the first of three US F-16 crashes in
South Korea over the past year, raising concerns over the safety of
civilians living near US air bases in the country.
Another US F-16
crashed into the Yellow Sea last December, while the third one into the
waters in January. All of the pilots safely ejected and were rescued.
"The
investigations for two other 8th FW F-16 incidents in December 2023 and
January 2024 are still being conducted, and their results will be
published as soon as they are available for public release," the 7th Air
Force said, adding that it takes every aircraft incident seriously.