China’s first female pilot of J-10 fighter jets dies in an air accident
Yu Xu, 30, was unable to eject before the aircraft hit the ground
China’s first female pilot of a J-10 fighter jet died in a flying accident on Saturday, the day after China ’s air force day, the Sichuan Communist Youth League reported on social media.
Yu Xu, 30, who was born in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, was a member of the August 1st aerobatics team of the People’s Liberation Army’s air force. She was one of few female pilots who could fly domestically made fighter jets.
According to mainland media reports, Yu’s plane plunged to the ground after an unspecified accident, and she was unable to eject in time. The incident occurred in Hebei province.
The reports said Yu was flying with a male pilot, who was able to eject but was injured.
Yu applied to become a pilot in the air force in 2005 and, four years later, became one of China’s first 16 female pilots of fighter jets, according to Xinhua News Agency.