Minister of National Defense Kao Hua-chu (高華柱) paid tribute to a air force jet fighter pilot who died in a recent crash in France as the pilot’s remains were brought home yesterday.
Kao and Air Force Commanding General Yen Ming (嚴明) met the family of Lieutenant Colonel Wang Tung-yi (王同義) at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport upon their return from France with the ashes of the pilot, who died during a training mission on Oct. 3.
The family members included Wang’s mother and his brother, who carried the urn with the pilot’s ashes.
Photo: Yao Kai-shiou, Taipei Times
Wang’s remains will be kept at an air base in Hsinchu, where a memorial service is scheduled for Monday. Wang will be honored with a presidential citation and a medal for his excellent performance and dedication to his mission.
A funeral service was held earlier this week for Wang at an air base in eastern France where he was in training. During the service, he was posthumously awarded a flying medal by the French Air Force.
Wang, 37, died during a training operation. His Mirage 2000-5 jet fighter lost contact shortly after takeoff from Luxeuil Air Base and crashed into a wooded area about 500m from a cluster of houses, French reports said.
The French Air Force said that in the final moments of the flight, Wang made a conscious effort to steer the plane clear of residential communities in the Luxeuil-les-Bains area to prevent loss of life.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
The air force said on Thursday that its Mirage 2000-5s are now back in service, after a suspension following the French crash.
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