Baghdad-INA
The US Army announced that one of its F-16 fighter planes crashed on Wednesday morning in the waters off the western coast of South Korea, noting that the pilot of the plane was able to survive after successfully jumping from it.
An army statement said, “An F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft from the Eighth Fighter Wing experienced an emergency while flying over the West Sea and crashed at approximately 8:41 am (23:41 GMT) today.”
The statement added, “The pilot jumped safely and was recovered at approximately 9:30 a.m. He is conscious and was transferred to a medical facility to evaluate his condition.”
The statement praised the close cooperation with South Korea during the rescue operation.
Colonel Matthew C. said: Gaethke, commander of the US Air Force’s 8th Fighter Wing, said: “We are very grateful to the ROK rescue forces and all of our teammates who made the quick rescue of our pilot possible.”
“We will now shift our focus to searching for and recovering the plane,” he added.
The statement pointed out that “information about the cause of the in-flight emergency will not be provided until the completion of comprehensive safety and accident investigations.”
Source: afp
2024-01-31 14:57:57