Although Taiwan's Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF) has an emergency function that minimizes the chance of a plane crash due to human error, pilots have only now found out about it.
The previous two accidents involving IDFs this year were caused by human error, defense sources said yesterday.
The state-run Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC), the developer of the plane, reminded the air force of the manually controlled function after realizing what had caused the two IDF crashes.
The function, which is to be activated only in an emergency, could help the plane recover from near loss of control caused by improper piloting, AIDC officials said.
According to defense sources the crashes had a lot to do with improper piloting on the part of the flight instructor.
Both of the planes were twin-seat trainers, which carried a trainee in the front seat and a flight instructor in the back.
Air force investigations indica-ted that the first IDF crash, which occurred in April, was caused by the flight instructor maneuvering the plane in such a way that a negative G-force was created, a senior air force official said.
The instructor caused the negative G-force as punishment when the trainee failed to carry out instructions. The trainee lost control of the plane after repeated interruptions from the back-seat pilot. The plane crashed, but both pilots survived by ejecting.
The second crash, in Septem-ber, had a similar cause, said Erich Shih (
"The crash was also caused by the negative G-force which the flight instructor created intentionally to punish the trainee. It is incredible that the same mistake could be repeated again and again," Shih said. He quoted what he called reliable sources.
The crashes dealt a heavy blow to the air force, which had been taking pride in the IDF's relatively accident-free history, especially compared with other fighter planes such as the US-made F-16 and French Mirage 2000-5.
The latest crashes have brought the IDF fleet in line with the F-16s and Mirage 2000-5s as far as the air force's accident rate is concerned.
A total of three IDFs have crashed since the air force started using them, while four of the F-16s and three Mirage 2005-5s have crashed.
In an attempt to prevent similar accidents in future, the air force has asked the AIDC to help teach pilots how to use the fighter's emergency function.
The air force general headquarters yesterday declined to comment on the issue, saying it is not proper to discuss this in public.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
ANOTHER OPTION: The 13-year-old, whose residency status was revoked for holding a Chinese passport, could still apply for residency on humanitarian grounds, the government said The Executive Yuan has rejected an appeal from a 13-year-old Chinese student surnamed Lu (陸), whose permanent residency was revoked after immigration officers discovered he held a Chinese passport. Lu in December 2023 applied to settle in Taiwan to be with his mother, surnamed Lin (林), who is a Taiwan resident, an appeal decision released this month by the Executive Yuan showed. Lin settled in Taiwan after marrying a Taiwanese man in 2003, but the two divorced in 2011, and after marrying a Chinese man, she had Lu, the Executive Yuan’s appeals committee said. Lu’s application was approved in December 2024, and in
RSS