South Korea: Air Force grounds KF-16 fighter jets following Alaska accident

Seoul, June 12 The South Korean Air Force said on Thursday that it has temporarily grounded KF-16 fighter jets following an accident involving the aircraft during the US-led multinational Red Flag air exercise in Alaska earlier this week.

On Tuesday (US time), two pilots ejected from the twin-seat fighter after an emergency situation occurred during takeoff from Eielson Air Force Base. The pilots did not suffer major injuries, but the aircraft was partially damaged due to a fire.

The Air Force has dispatched a 20-member team to Alaska to probe the accident and carry out emergency maintenance, amid efforts to determine the exact cause of the accident under close cooperation with the US side.

In a press briefing, an Air Force official said the service has yet to decide whether to participate in the air exercise that runs through June 27 as planned or call in the deployed aircrew.

In a separate statement, the US 354th Fighter Wing confirmed the incident occurred on base within the fence line of the Eielson Air Force Base, while departing the prepared surface.

The scope of the aircraft damage and the circumstances leading to the accident were not immediately known.

"The two pilots visited a US Army hospital and are currently recovering. No major injuries were reported other than minor burns and lacerations," the Air Force said in a notice.

The KF-16 fighter, which was partially damaged due to a fire, remains parked on the grass near the runway, it added.

The Air Force plans to dispatch a team to probe the accident and carry out emergency maintenance later in the day, amid efforts to determine the exact cause of the accident under close cooperation with the US side.

The incident is the first known accident involving a South Korean fighter jet overseas.

Launched in 1975, the Red Flag-Alaska exercise is designed to provide realistic training in a simulated combat environment, according to the US military.

South Korea has deployed fighter jets to the exercise since 2013. This year, the South's Air Force mobilised 11 aircraft, including the KF-16 fighter and the KC-330 transport plane, and some 100 airmen.

Earlier on April 20, the Air Force had grounded nearly all of its aircraft after a KA-1 light attack aircraft accidentally released two gun pods and empty fuel tanks.

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