A US F-16 fighter jet crashed in waters off the west coast of South Korea on Wednesday morning as a result of an “in-flight emergency”, Time reports.
The US Air Force said the pilot “ejected safely” and was conscious and taken to a medical facility for evaluation. Matthew C. Gaetke, commander of the 8th Fighter Wing, which was the first overseas unit to receive the F-16 platform in 1981, operates from Kunsan Air Base, about 115 miles south of Seoul, said:
“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. Now we will shift our focus to search and recovery of the aircraft.”
This is the second incident involving US Air Force F-16s in the past 2 months. In December, another F-16 from the 8th Fighter Wing crashed into the Yellow Sea off the southeast coast of South Korea, with the pilot ejecting safely before the crash. Gaetke then ordered the suspension of flights for two days to investigate and recover the aircraft. The results of the investigation have not yet been released.
Last May, another F-16 pilot ejected safely before the plane crashed into farmland near Osan Air Base.
Wednesday’s crash comes months after a US Osprey aircraft crashed off the coast of Japan in November, killing all eight people on board. Since the crash, Osprey aircraft remain banned and Congress has launched an investigation into the programme.
20 January marked the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the F-16. The aircraft has been used in “every major American conflict” since 1974, including “peacekeeping on the Korean Peninsula,” according to a statement from the 8th Fighter Wing.
