The death of air force pilot Chen Yi (陳奕) in the crash of an F-16V jet on Tuesday last week was from blunt-force trauma caused by a high-speed impact, the prosecutor responsible for investigating the case said on Monday.
The finding was based on an autopsy conducted on bones and skin tissue found at the crash site near the Aogu Wetlands (鰲鼓溼地) in Chiayi County’s Dongshih Township (東石) over the past few days, Chiayi County Chief Prosecutor Tsai Ying-chun (蔡英俊) said.
Tests conducted on a DNA sample taken from Chen’s mother confirmed that the human remains retrieved from the site belonged to Chen, Tsai said.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsun, Taipei Times
An autopsy was conducted on the remains, which concluded that the cause of death was a severe high-speed impact, resulting in deadly, full-body, multiple blunt-force traumas, Tsai said.
Searchers on Monday also found human tissue that might be part of Chen’s scalp, and tests would be conducted to see if it belongs to him, Tsai said.
Earlier on Monday, the prosecutors’ office issued an autopsy certificate to Chen’s family that serves in place of a death certificate, enabling the family to claim state compensation and handle funeral matters.
The F-16V piloted by Chen with the serial number 6650 disappeared from radar screens at 3:23pm on Tuesday last week, about 30 minutes after it took off from Chiayi Air Base on a routine training mission with another aircraft.
The aircraft had just completed a series of simulated missile launches, when it abruptly nosedived into the sea near the wetlands, the pilot of the other jet, a ground controller and a witness said.
The flight recorder of the crashed jet has been found and sent to aviation experts, raising hopes of finding clues to the cause of the crash, which has confounded experts so far.
Searchers found the device on Monday evening, an air force press release said.
The device was handed to professionals to retrieve its flight history data, the air force said.
An ad hoc investigation committee has been formed to determine the cause of the crash.
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