An F-16 jet overran a runway while attempting to land at Pingtung Air Base yesterday, the Air Force Command Headquarters said.
At 6:32am, the F-16B with tail number 6829 plowed into the ground when landing at the base, it said.
The pilot and the weapons systems officer (WSO) in the twin-seat fighter jet were not injured, Air Force Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Huang Chih-wei (黃志偉) told an online news briefing.
Photo: CNA
A WSO, commonly nicknamed the “wizzo,” is an air flight officer directly involved in all air operations and weapons systems of an aircraft.
The plane was towed into a hangar, and sustained only slight damage to its nose and landing gear, Huang said.
The two lieutenant colonels did not issue a distress call because there was no apparent malfunction during the mission.
An investigation committee would look into the cause of the incident, and the plane’s flight data recorder would be analyzed, Huang said.
The fighter jet was part of a rehearsal for the Han Kuang military drills, the air force said, adding that the drills, which are to take place from Sept. 13 to 17, would include emergency takeoff and landing drills by fighter jets on public highways.
Despite the fighter-jet incident, the drill rehearsal would continue uninterrupted, Huang said, adding that the “Huang Kuang exercises are expected to take place as scheduled.”
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