The pilot of the US navy airplane, the newest to crash within the Asia Pacific area, has been rescued.
A US navy fighter jet has ditched into the Yellow Sea off South Korea.
The F-16 Preventing Falcon assigned to the eighth Fighter Wing was on a routine coaching flight on Monday when it skilled an “in-flight emergency” that despatched it into the Yellow Sea, the US Air Drive mentioned in a press release.
The pilot has been rescued after ejecting, it mentioned.
“The pilot ejected the plane. The pilot has been recovered by Republic of Korea Maritime Forces, awake and in steady situation,” the assertion mentioned, including he could be evaluated additional again on the the Kunsan Air Base.
“We’re grateful for the protected restoration of our airman by our ROK Allies and that the pilot is in good situation,” mentioned Colonel Matthew C Gaetke, the eighth Fighter Wing’s commander.
The reason for the malfunction is at the moment unknown. “The incident will likely be completely investigated,” the air power assertion mentioned.
The airbase is situated in South Korea’s west coast metropolis of Gunsan. It’s one in every of two foremost airbases utilized by the US navy within the nation, which hosts 28,500 US service members.
The crash was the second incident this yr in and round South Korea involving an F-16 jet. In Might, one plane crashed throughout a routine coaching train in a farming space south of Seoul. The pilot ejected safely and the accident induced no different casualties.
In neighbouring Japan, the US navy introduced final week that it was grounding its fleet of V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor plane following a lethal crash that killed eight US airmen.
