Pilot killed in Taiwan jet crash, all F-5E fighters grounded
- Training mission ends in tragedy with mechanical problem in right engine reported soon after take-off
- Ageing aircraft had been in service for more than 40 years
A Taiwanese air force F-5E fighter jet has crashed in the sea off the coast of the eastern county of Taitung on a routine training mission, killing the pilot and prompting the military to ground all similar ageing aircraft which have been in use for more than four decades.
The single-seated F-5E took off from the Chihang airbase in Taitung at 7.29am when the pilot almost immediately reported a mechanical problem in the right engine over the radio, air force chief of staff Huang Chih-wei said in a news conference in Taipei on Thursday.
The pilot, identified as Chu Kuan-meng, was on routine air combat and defence training. He managed to eject from the jet before impact but rescuers found no vital signs, Huang said.
“We sent a helicopter to look for him at 7:32am … and when the rescuers found him and carried him to the helicopter, he had already lost consciousness,” Huang said, adding the pilot was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
“We are still investigating the exact cause of the crash,” Huang said, adding the air force had ordered the grounding of all its F-5E jets.
Chu had attained 703 hours of flight time, with more than 510 hours in the F5 series and was found fit to fly in pre-flight evaluation, according to Huang who also confirmed that weather conditions and visibility had both been fine before the crash.