US F-16 fighter jet crashes off South Korea, pilot rescued

An American F-16 fighter plane had a “in-flight emergency” over the West Sea near South Korea and crashed early Wednesday, the US military said, adding that the pilot had been rescued. “An F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing here experienced an in-flight emergency over the West Sea and crashed at approximately 8:41am (2341 GMT) today,” the military said in a statement. “The pilot ejected safely and was recovered at around 9:30 am. He is conscious and was transported to a medical facility for assessment.” The statement hailed the close cooperation with South Korea during the rescue operation. “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 Colonel Matthew C. Gaetke, 8th Fighter Wing commander. “Now we will shift our focus to search and recovery of the aircraft,” he added. “Information on the cause of the in-flight emergency will not be made available until the conclusion of thorough safety and accident investigations,” the statement said. The fighter plane fell close to Mokdeok island, off the west coast of South Korea, according to the Korea Coast Guard, which was reported to AFP. Since May 2023, there have been three American F-16 fighter jet crashes in South Korea. In December, a US F-16 fighter plane had what the US military called “an in-flight emergency” and crashed during a regular training exercise. And that pilot was saved. A US F-16 fighter crashed in May of last year in a rural region south of Seoul while conducting a regular training exercise. There were no more casualties from the collision, and the pilot safely evacuated. Washington, which has 28,500 soldiers stationed in South Korea to assist defend it from the nuclear-armed North, is Seoul’s most significant security ally. In neighbouring Japan, the US military announced late last year that it was grounding its fleet of V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft following a deadly crash that killed eight US airmen.