US F-16 jet crashes in South Korea during training: Yonhap
A US Air Force F-16 jet fighter takes off from an airbase during Cruzex, a multinational air exercise hosted by the Brazilian Air Force, in Natal, Brazil, Nov 21, 2018.
PHOTO: Reuters file
PUBLISHED ONDecember 11, 2023 7:20 AM
SEOUL — A US F-16 fighter jet crashed in South Korea on Monday (Dec 11) while on a routine training flight and the pilot was rescued after ejecting when the aircraft experienced an "in-flight emergency," the US Air Force unit stationed in the country said.
The pilot was rescued in the Yellow Sea by the South Korean coast guard and returned to the Kunsan Air Base, the 8th Fighter Wing said in a statement.
The cause of the emergency was being investigated, it said.
The unit commander, Colonel Matthew Gaetke, said he was grateful for the pilot's recovery and that he was in good condition, the statement said.
The air base located in the South Korean west coast city of Gunsan is one of the two main air bases used by the US military in the country.
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