The air force yesterday lifted a flight ban on its AT-5 Yung Ying (勇鷹, “Brave Eagle”) fleet that was imposed in the middle of last month after one of the advanced jet trainers (AJT) crashed in waters off Taitung County during a training session due to engine failure.
The decision came after the air force and the AJT’s manufacturer, Taichung-based Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (AIDC), completed all special checks on the fleet following the Feb. 15 incident, the air force said in a statement.
Although the aircraft were grounded for nearly three weeks, the air force continued to enhance logistics training for support staff and used jet simulators to boost pilot training, it said.
Photo: CNA
With the flight ban lifted, the two-seater trainer jets would be permitted to resume normal flight training sessions, it said.
Last month’s crash resulted in minor injuries to the plane’s sole pilot, air force Major-in-Training Lin Wei (林瑋), who ejected and parachuted to safety after both of the aircraft’s engines failed.
The 34-year-old pilot was hospitalized for two days before being discharged on Feb. 17.
The air force said it is still investigating the cause of both engines failing at the same time and have yet to rule out any possibilities.
It has also commissioned a private contractor to recover parts of the crashed aircraft, the statement said.
Two defense experts last month said that the crash might have been caused by a bird strike or a broken fan blade from one engine hitting the other engine.
It was the first Brave Eagle accident since the air force took delivery of the domestically manufactured trainers from AIDC in 2021 to replace its aging AT-3 trainers.
AIDC has delivered 42 of the 66 Brave Eagles ordered by the air force.
The remaining aircraft are to be delivered by the end of next year.
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