Taiwanese Fighter Jet Crashes, Pilot Dies In The Sea

Fighter jet illustration (doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - A Taiwanese fighter jet F-5E had an accident and crashed into the open sea. The fatal accident also killed the pilot of the plane after joining the sea.

According to the South China Morning Post, Thursday, October 29, the fighter plane was undergoing routine training and was reported to have suffered damage shortly after take-off.

As a result of the accident, pilot Chu Kuang-meng who was thrown from his ejection seat slammed into the sea and drowned. The rescue team who managed to evacuate the pilot from the sea was unconscious.

Unfortunately, the life of the 29-year-old pilot was not saved when he was taken to the nearest hospital. This is the second fatal air accident for Taiwan in the last three months.

The Taiwan Air Force immediately audits all F-5E fighter jets in the hangar. In which Air Force Chief of Staff Huang Chih-wei said all F-5E fighter jets are now barred from flying until the results of the feasibility and security checks are complete.

In fact, the F-5E is an old generation fighter aircraft owned by Taiwan since the 1960s. The AIDC, the fighter jet manufacturer, immediately conducted an investigation into the Taiwan military accident.

On the other hand, this accident occurred when the Taiwan Air Force was forced to confront Chinese fighter jets that crossed the center line of the Taiwan Strait. This provocative action was carried out by China in response to the arrival of a senior US official to Taipei.