JAKARTA - A South Korean KF-16 fighter jet crashed due to engine problems during a flight mission on Sunday, November 20.

"The good news is that the pilot managed to survive after pulling the lever of the seat," the Air Force said as quoted by Yonhap News, Monday, November 21.

The pilot jet belonging to the 19th Fighter Wing carried out an emergency injection in the area about 20 kilometers west of Wonju, about 85 km east of Seoul, at 20.05 local time.

"Currently, pilots remain safe and we are trying to ascertain damage to civilians," military officials said.

It is still unknown whether the fighter aircraft in question is a single-seat KF-16C or a double-seat KF-16D.

As a result, the South Korean Air Force postponed its biennial air exercise, which was originally planned for this week. A number of its warplanes were grounded due to fighter jet accidents.

The Soaring Eagle exercise will start on Monday, but the Air Force decided to reschedule after the KF-16C jet crashed due to engine problems on Sunday, causing the armed forces to stop the operation of all aircraft except for surveillance and emergency assets.


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