The head of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) yesterday expressed condolences to the family of an air force pilot who died when the US-made F-16 jet he was flying crashed during a training flight in Arizona earlier this week.
“I would like to express our deep condolences to the family and friends of Major Kao Ting-cheng (高鼎程), the pilot who lost his life in the F-16 plane crash in Arizona,” AIT Director Kin Moy said in a post on the AIT’s Facebook page.
The post came one day after Kao was confirmed to have died. The cause of the crash is still being investigated.
Kao, a 2007 graduate of Taiwan’s Air Force Academy, was in the US on a routine training program and had clocked 865 flight hours. He was 31.
US military officials said that the pilot, who was stationed at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, was carrying out air-to-air combat maneuvers when the single-seat airplane went down on Thursday, according to foreign media reports.
Air Force Commander General Shen Yi-ming (沈一鳴) yesterday morning visited Kao’s father in Miaoli County to express his condolences in person.
The air force said that military officials would accompany Kao’s father to the US later in the day to deal with the aftermath of his death.
Meanwhile, the air force is to send three officials to the US to help with the investigation into the incident.
As Kao died while on duty, the air force said it is seeking to promote him posthumously to the rank of lieutenant colonel and to issue a citation to praise his performance.
Kao is survived by his wife and two young children, including a boy born late last year. His mother went to the US earlier this month to take care of his wife.
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