US F-16 jet crashes during training south of Seoul

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
6 May 2023 10:20

The US Air Force says the jet's pilot safely ejected before the crash and was taken to the nearest hospital.

A US Air Force F-16 fighter taking part in the US-led Saber Strike exercise flies over Estonia on June 6, 2018 (Reuters)

A US F-16 fighter jet crashed in a farming area south of Seoul during a training exercise on Saturday, the US military confirmed.

In a statement, the US Air Force said the jet's pilot safely ejected before the crash and was taken to the nearest hospital.

"An F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing crashed in an agricultural area near Osan Air Base at about 9:45 am" in Gyeonggi province, the statement read.

It noted that the crash occurred during a routine training exercise, adding that an investigation was underway.

An American F-16 fighter jet crashed today during training near a large American military base in South Korea, the US military announced.
The plane crashed in a rural area near Osan Air Base, CNN reports. The pilot ejected safely and was transported to the nearest medical… pic.twitter.com/lwsMFwSfCd
— Spriter (@Spriter99880) May 6, 2023

Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dong-yeon said on his Twitter account that the local fire department was dispatched to the crash site and extinguished the fire.

Local media reported that the crash involved no casualties or damage as it took place in a rural area.

"There are no civilian homes nearby the crash, causing no further damage (other than the jet)," a police official was quoted as saying by the Yonhap news agency.

US Army temporarily grounds pilots after deadly crashes

It is noteworthy that last week, the US Army's chief of staff grounded all pilots who are not involved in critical missions until they complete required training after four helicopters crashed in a matter of weeks.

Two AH-64 Apache helicopters collided in Alaska last week, killing three soldiers and injuring a fourth, while two Black Hawks crashed in Kentucky late last month, leaving nine dead.

General James McConville "ordered an aviation stand down following two deadly helicopter mishaps that claimed the lives of 12 soldiers," the Army announced in a statement.

It indicated that "the move grounds all Army aviators, except those participating in critical missions, until they complete the required training."

According to the statement, "During the stand down, the Army will review the risk approval/risk management process, aviation maintenance training program, aircrew training standardization and management, and supervisory responsibility."

Active-duty units must complete the 24-hour stand down between May 1 and 5, and National Guard and Reserve units by May 31, it added.

There have been multiple other crashes of US military aircraft in recent years, including one involving a Black Hawk that killed two Tennessee National Guardsmen during a training flight in Alabama in February.

Last year, four US Marines were killed during NATO exercises in Norway when their V-22B Osprey aircraft went down, possibly after hitting a mountain, investigators said.

In 2021, two US Navy pilots were rescued after their T-45C Goshawk jet crashed during a training exercise in a residential neighborhood near Fort Worth, Texas. The pilots ejected before the plane went down.