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Thirds USAF F-16 crash in South Korea in 9 months
February 1, 2024 (by
Lieven Dewitte) -
An American F-16 fighter jet crashed in waters off South Korea's west coast near Mokdeok island, on Jan 31, with the pilot rescued after ejecting from the aircraft.
“An F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing here experienced an in-flight emergency over the West Sea and crashed at approximately 08.41h (23.41h GMT) today,” the United States military said in a statement.
“The pilot ejected safely and was recovered at around 09.30h. He is conscious and was transported to a medical facility for assessment.”
The statement hailed the close cooperation with South Korea during the rescue operation.
“We are very thankful to the Republic of Korea rescue forces and all of our teammates who made the swift recovery of our pilot possible,” said Colonel Matthew C. Gaetke, 8th Fighter Wing commander.
This is the third crash of an American F-16 fighter jet in South Korea since May 2023. Last september, there was also a crash of a South Korean Air Force KF-16.
The incident is the second in about six weeks for the US military in South Korea, following the crash of a US F-16 jet on a training mission into waters off the country’s coast in mid-December. The cause of that incident was also an “in-flight emergency,” the US 8th Fighter Wing said in a statement at the time.
“The pilot ejected safely and was recovered at around 09.30h. He is conscious and was transported to a medical facility for assessment.”
The statement hailed the close cooperation with South Korea during the rescue operation.
“We are very thankful to the Republic of Korea rescue forces and all of our teammates who made the swift recovery of our pilot possible,” said Colonel Matthew C. Gaetke, 8th Fighter Wing commander.
This is the third crash of an American F-16 fighter jet in South Korea since May 2023. Last september, there was also a crash of a South Korean Air Force KF-16.
The incident is the second in about six weeks for the US military in South Korea, following the crash of a US F-16 jet on a training mission into waters off the country’s coast in mid-December. The cause of that incident was also an “in-flight emergency,” the US 8th Fighter Wing said in a statement at the time.
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- 8th FW F-16 Crashes in South Korea (Jan 2024) ( 5 replies)
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