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The two pilots of a brand-new F-15K Fighter that plunged into the East Sea on Thursday night had drifted far off course when they crashed, investigations show. Air Force officials say they are investigating the possibility that pilot error brought on by flight illusions caused the crash.
"It is still difficult to ascertain whether equipment failure or pilot error was the cause," a military source said Thursday. "But I understand that we haven¡¯t found anything so far that would point to engine trouble or equipment malfunctions at the time of the accident." The jet suddenly dropped off the radar during a routine training mission at 8:20 p.m. Wednesday.
The pilots were in the air along with two other F-15Ks practicing at low altitudes pushing down from 18,000 feet (5.4 km). But their flight path was reportedly much lower than the 11,000 feet (3.3 km) at which they were supposed to fly. ¡°Given that the pilots kept communicating until the very last moment, it seems they didn¡¯t notice they were in the wrong position,¡± the source said. But the F-15K has state-of-the-art equipment supposed to prevent flight illusion, and the likelihood that the two pilots were suffering from it is low.
The Air Force meanwhile grounded the other three F-15Ks so far delivered from the U.S. until the cause of the incident has been determined. It is considering delaying the introduction of another 14 of the jets scheduled for delivery this year.
The Navy and Coast Guard have found body parts and 50 pieces of debris from the crashed fighter and belongings of pilots some 30 miles (48 km) off the coast of Pohang. The Air Force will hold a funeral service for Major Kim Sung-dae (36, Korea Air Force Academy 41st class) and Captain Lee Jae-uk (32, Korea Air Force Academy 44th class) on Friday.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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