On the afternoon of the 1st, two KT-1 training aircraft that took off from the Air Force 3rd Training Flight Group in Sacheon, Gyeongnam, collided in midair approximately 6 km south of the airbase. All four pilots died in the accident. [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the afternoon of the 1st, two Air Force training aircraft KT-1 crashed in a field in Goeup-ri, Jeongdong-myeon, Sacheon-si, Gyeongnam, resulting in the deaths of all four pilots. The photo shows the wreckage of the crashed training aircraft. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters reporters Kim Yong-woo and Lee Se-ryeong] At around 1:37 PM on the 1st, two Air Force training fighter jets KT-1 collided in the air over Jeongdong-myeon, Sacheon-si, Gyeongnam Province, resulting in the deaths of all four occupants.
Each of the two training aircraft had one pilot on board.
According to the Gyeongnam Fire Headquarters and military authorities, at 1:32 PM that day, one training aircraft took off from Sacheon base for an aerial flight training, followed by another training aircraft of the same model. Five minutes later, they collided with each other.
The two planes collided in midair around 6 km south of the base at approximately 1:37 PM after takeoff and crashed into a nearby mountain.
After the accident, the Air Force, police, and firefighters rushed to the scene to search for the occupants. The pilots attempted emergency ejection, but three were found dead, and one was discovered about two hours after the accident, confirming that all four occupants died.
The training aircraft involved in the accident belonged to the Air Force's 3rd Training Flight Group based in Sacheon.
As the two training aircraft collided in the air, debris such as engines fell on nearby houses and a church, but fortunately, there were no casualties.
The Air Force formed an accident response headquarters led by the Deputy Chief of Staff to investigate the exact cause of the accident and assess the damage.
The KT-1 training aircraft involved in the accident is the first domestically developed basic trainer aircraft, deployed in 2000. It is used for basic piloting practice for fighter pilot candidates and is a two-seater trainer.
This trainer aircraft had a previous accident in November 2003 during flight training, resulting in the death of one pilot.
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