Bodies of Patrol Aircraft Crew Found... Navy Confirms All Four Dead (Comprehensive)

by Jang Heejun

Published 29 May.2025 18:51(KST)

All four people who were on board the naval patrol aircraft that crashed in Pohang, Gyeongbuk, on the 29th, were found dead.

The police stated that the bodies of the four crew members who were on the patrol aircraft were found one after another near the crash site. It was reported that some of the bodies were damaged because the patrol aircraft was engulfed in flames after the crash.

At around 1:50 PM on the 29th, firefighters are extinguishing a fire on a mountain in Sinjeongri, Donghae-myeon, Nam-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongbuk, where a naval patrol aircraft crashed. Photo by Yonhap News

The crashed patrol aircraft was carrying one major (pilot), one captain, and two non-commissioned officers. There are a total of eight aircraft of the same type as the crashed patrol plane deployed in South Korea, and they are operated by naval units in Pohang and Jeju.

The military stated that, unlike fighter jets, the crashed patrol aircraft does not have a self-ejection function. The Navy explained, "We have confirmed all four bodies of the maritime patrol aircraft crew members and are currently in the process of recovering them."