Drill called off after fighter jet crashes

The Air Force has postponed a biannual air exercise this week in the wake of a jet crash, officials said Monday.

A helicopter on Monday flies over a mountainous area in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi, near where a KF-16 fighter jet crashed after suffering an engine malfunction on Sunday. [YONHAP]

The Air Force has postponed a biannual air exercise this week in the wake of a jet crash, officials said Monday.

The Soaring Eagle exercise was set to begin Monday, but the Air Force decided the reschedule it after a single-seat KF-16C fighter jet crashed during a mission on Sunday.

The jet, which was from the 19th Fighter Wing, suffered an engine malfunction at 8:05 p.m. and crashed in a mountainous area approximately 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) west of Wonju, Gangwon, according to the Air Force.

In a text to reporters, the service said that the pilot was unharmed after ejecting from the plane, and that he is receiving treatment at a military hospital.

The Air Force also said there was no damage on the ground from the accident.

The Air Force halted the operation of all jets with the exception of surveillance and emergency assets — essentially grounding most fighter jets.

The Soaring Eagle exercise previously took place in June.

Approximately 200 Air Force personnel and about 70 warplanes, including F-35As, F-15Ks, KF-16s, F-4Es, F-5s, and E-737 early warning and control aircraft were mobilized for the drill, which first launched in 2008.

Sunday’s crash is the latest in a series of Air Force accidents this year that have downed fighter jets.

In August, a F-4E fighter jet crashed during a mission over the Yellow Sea.

The jet was an F-4E Phantom belonging to the Air Force’s 10th Fighter Wing.

In April, a midair collision of two KT-1 trainers in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang killed four people.

Each aircraft carried a trainee pilot and a civilian flight instructor, and all were discovered dead after ejecting from the planes.

In yet another accident, a F-5E fighter jet that took off from Suwon Air Base on Jan. 11 crashed into a hill in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, killing the pilot.

The spate of crashes is likely to add more pressure on the Air Force to address safety issues.

While an Air Force official who spoke to the JoongAng Ilbo on condition of anonymity after April’s fatal crash said the service would set up a flight accident countermeasure headquarters headed by the Air Force deputy chief of staff to investigate aircraft issues, it remains unclear what steps have been taken.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]