An American F-16 fighter jet crashed during standard training on Saturday morning close to Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea according to a statement released by the US military.
The crash happened at approximately 9:45 am local time in a farming region. Luckily, the pilot was able to eject safely and was transported to the nearest medical facility. Furthermore, no civilians were harmed during the occurrence.
The crash occurred around 9:45 a.m. about 10 miles from Osan and 30 miles south of Seoul, the wing said in a news release. The pilot ejected safely and is in stable condition after being taken to an urgent care facility on base.https://t.co/DWpMgsX03J
— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) May 8, 2023
The US military, the pilot involved in the crash was taking part in a regular daytime training exercise, and the reasons for the incident are being looked into. Col. Henry R. Jeffress, III, who is the commander of the 8th Fighter Wing, stated that they don’t have any more information currently, but they are relieved that the pilot was able to safely eject and that no one else was hurt.
To identify the cause of the crash and put in place any necessary safety measures to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future, the US Air Force will create an independent Safety Investigation Board that will analyze all relevant data and evidence.
Translated post on Twitter by Kim Dong-yeon, the Governor of Gyeonggi Province in South Korea, the local fire department was sent to the site of the F-16 fighter jet crash to put out the fire. The Governor also stated that there is no possibility of a secondary explosion resulting from the incident. The Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters were dispatched right away to extinguish the fire and save lives, as per the Governor’s statement.
The US military’s dedication to exploring the cause of the accident and adopting remedial measures is a crucial move in averting future occurrences of a similar nature. However, the name of the pilot who was involved in the crash has not yet been disclosed by the military.
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