A T-34 trainer aircraft this morning crashed at Gangshan Air Base in Kaohsiung during a training mission, killing two pilots, both with more than 2,000 flight hours in the aircraft, the air force said.
Lieutenant Colonel Lu Chi-yu (盧季佑) and Lieutenant Colonel Kuo Chun-nan (過俊男) were flying the aircraft, tail number 3414, on a simulated engine-failure route training mission, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Major General Sun Li-fang (孫立方) said.
The aircraft crashed near the northern end of the runway at 8:08am, killing both pilots, Sun said.
Photo: Taipei Times file photo
Air force Commander General Cheng Jung-feng (鄭榮豐) traveled to the crash site to assess the situation, and Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) instructed the air force to assist the pilots’ families and conduct a thorough investigation into the incident, he said.
The air force said it has formed a special task force to investigate the cause of the crash.
The task force would review the aircraft's mechanical condition, training procedures and safety measures to ensure the safety of future exercises, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said in a statement.
"I'm deeply saddened by this sudden tragedy. On behalf of the country, I would like to thank the two pilots for their sacrifices and contributions, and extend my deepest condolences to their families," President William Lai (賴清德) told reporters in Taipei.
Kuo, 46, was married and graduated from the Republic of China Air Force Academy in 2004. He had accumulated 2,172 flight hours in the T-34, the air force said.
Lu, 41, was married with a son and a daughter, and graduated from the academy in 2008. He had logged 2,114 flight hours in the T-34, it said.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS