The Air Force announced that at around 7:31 p.m. on the 25th, an F-16C (single-seat) fighter jet from the Chungju Air Base crashed in a mountainous area near Yongsan-ri, Anjeong-myeon, Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, during a night flight training mission.
The single pilot reportedly made an emergency ejection, became caught in a tree, and then called the fire authorities.
The pilot was found by the fire authorities at around 8:10 p.m., and his life is not in danger. However, the fire authorities said that as the location is on the mid-slope of a low mountain at an elevation of 500 meters, the rough terrain is expected to make the rescue operation take a considerable amount of time.
In addition, when the aircraft crashed in the mountainous area, a forest fire covering an area of about 200 pyeong broke out and is currently being extinguished. So far, no civilian damage has been identified.
The Air Force stated that it has formed a flight accident countermeasure headquarters, headed by the deputy chief of staff, and is investigating the exact cause of the accident.
Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-baek, who is visiting Canada, received a report on the accident on site immediately after it occurred and ordered that every effort be made to rescue the F-16C pilot and that the cause of the accident be thoroughly investigated.
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