An F-16 Fighting Falcon of the US Air Force crashed near Kunsan Air Base in South Korea on Wednesday. Latest reports said that the crash occurred after the in-flight emergency. An AP report confirms that the pilot of the ill-fated combat jet has been rescued as he managed to safely eject. This is the second such crash in less than 60 days. The US 8th Fighter Wing has released the statement confirming the development.
The unidentified pilot was found conscious and was transported to a medical facility for assessment, the U.S. 8th Fighter Wing said in a statement.
As per media report, it said it closely worked with U.S. and South Korean mission partners to recover the pilot, who experienced an unspecified in-flight emergency and ejected before the plane crashed into the sea.
Notably, the reason for the crash, which reportedly occurred in waters near the port city of Seosan, was being investigated. There were no immediate reports of casualties or property damage caused by the crash, AP stated.
“We are very thankful to the Republic of Korea rescue forces and all of our teammates who made the swift recovery of our pilot possible,” said Col. Matthew C.
“Now we will shift our focus to search and recovery of the aircraft.” The 8th Fighter Wing, which is composed of two F-16 squadrons, previously experienced an F-16 crash in December. It then said the pilot experienced problems during a routine training flight and was safely recovered after ejecting the aircraft before it crashed into sea near the port city of Gunsan.