Pilots Did Not Train Using Actual Armed Flight Path
Regarding the accidental bombing incident involving an Air Force KF-16 fighter jet that occurred on the 6th of last month, the squadron and battalion commanders have been criminally charged. This is due to a confirmed significant causal relationship between command management, safety control, and the accidental bombing incident. Additionally, the Air Force Operations Commander will receive a 'warning' measure for command responsibility.
On the 14th, the Ministry of National Defense Investigation Headquarters announced the interim investigation and investigation results of the Air Force accidental bombing incident containing these details. The cause of the accident was repeatedly confirmed to be the pilots' incorrect input of target coordinates. According to the investigation headquarters, the two pilots responsible for the accident mistakenly entered the target coordinates into the Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS) on the 5th of last month, the day before the flight, and then corrected the automatically calculated altitude value to 2035ft (approximately 620m) as stated in the training plan document.
They did not recognize the mistake even during the final pre-flight check stage, and trusting the incorrectly input target coordinates displayed on the aircraft before weapon release, they dropped the bombs without visually confirming the target. Separately, it was also confirmed that the pre-training did not follow the actual flight path of the mission commander.
An official from the investigation headquarters explained, "According to the training plan guidelines of the Air Force Operations Command, pre-training should be conducted following the mission commander's flight path, but the pilots arbitrarily judged that they were not acting as mission commanders during the pre-training phase and did not follow the mission commander's flight path. As a result, the pilots had to input the target coordinates according to the mission commander's flight path the day before the actual training (the 5th), which increased the possibility of incorrect input."
The squadron and battalion commanders of the unit that conducted the training were also additionally criminally charged (negligent injury in the course of duty) as accomplices with the pilots. They have the duty to verify and supervise the pilots' training preparation according to regulations. However, they overlooked the risks of mission commander training, did not check the mission commander’s plan, and neglected supervision of detailed training plans, establishment of safety measures, and inspection of flight readiness, which was found to have a significant causal relationship with the accidental bombing incident.
The investigation headquarters stated, "The two pilots and the squadron and battalion commanders who were criminally charged will be transferred to the military prosecution after the investigation is completed. Nine others identified with negligence such as delayed reporting and inadequate measures will be notified of misconduct, and the Air Force Operations Commander will be subject to a warning for command responsibility and insufficient reporting related to the accidental bombing incident."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
