Collision 5 Minutes into Flight Training... Accident Response Headquarters Focuses on Missing Persons Search

Air Force training fighter jet crash site. [Image source=Yonhap News]

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[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] At around 1:36 PM on the 1st, an Air Force training fighter jet KT-1 crashed into a nearby mountain in Jeongdong-myeon, Sacheon-si, Gyeongnam, resulting in 3 of the 4 occupants dying and 1 missing.

According to military authorities, at 1:32 PM that day, a KT-1 training aircraft took off from Sacheon Base for aerial flight training and collided with another KT-1 training aircraft that had started training shortly after.

The two aircraft reportedly collided in midair and crashed around 1:37 PM, just 5 minutes after takeoff, approximately 6 km south of the base.

All occupants of the two training aircraft attempted emergency ejection, but currently, 3 have died in the line of duty and 1 person's whereabouts remain unknown.

To handle the accident, a total of 382 personnel were mobilized, including 130 military personnel, 62 firefighters, 150 police officers, and 40 from Sacheon City Hall, with 22 pieces of equipment such as fire helicopters, firefighting vehicles, and rescue vehicles deployed.

The military, police, and fire authorities have formed an aviation accident countermeasure headquarters to investigate the cause of the accident, and the fire department, police, and military are dividing the search areas to look for the missing person.

Damage to civilian houses was also confirmed, including a fire caused by fighter jet debris falling on the roof of Sacheon-eup Church, and recovery measures are planned.