Military to inspect Air Force over lax discipline following pilot error-caused accidents
The military will conduct an inspection of the Air Force over its operational discipline and readiness posture this week, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday, following an accidental bombing of a civilian town and a mistaken release of gun pods from an aircraft.
The on-site inspection will begin later in the day, the JCS said in a notice to reporters, without providing further details.
A JCS official said the inspection of Air Force fighter wings is set to run through Friday and may be extended when deemed necessary.
The move follows a series of accidents caused by Air Force assets in March and April that have raised concerns over lax discipline within the armed service.
On March 6, two KF-16 fighter jets mistakenly dropped eight MK-82 bombs outside a training range in Pocheon, some 40 kilometers north of Seoul, during live-fire drills, injuring 52 people, including 38 civilians.
Earlier this month, a KA-1 light attack aircraft taking part in nighttime drills over Pyeongchang, about 125 kilometers east of Seoul, accidentally dropped two gun pods and empty fuel tanks. No casualties or property damage have been reported.
The Air Force pointed to pilot errors as the reason for both incidents and apologized to the public over causing concerns, vowing to come up with practical measures to prevent similar accidents. (Yonhap)
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Korea Herald
29-04-2025
- Korea Herald
Military to inspect Air Force over lax discipline following pilot error-caused accidents
The military will conduct an inspection of the Air Force over its operational discipline and readiness posture this week, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday, following an accidental bombing of a civilian town and a mistaken release of gun pods from an aircraft. The on-site inspection will begin later in the day, the JCS said in a notice to reporters, without providing further details. A JCS official said the inspection of Air Force fighter wings is set to run through Friday and may be extended when deemed necessary. The move follows a series of accidents caused by Air Force assets in March and April that have raised concerns over lax discipline within the armed service. On March 6, two KF-16 fighter jets mistakenly dropped eight MK-82 bombs outside a training range in Pocheon, some 40 kilometers north of Seoul, during live-fire drills, injuring 52 people, including 38 civilians. Earlier this month, a KA-1 light attack aircraft taking part in nighttime drills over Pyeongchang, about 125 kilometers east of Seoul, accidentally dropped two gun pods and empty fuel tanks. No casualties or property damage have been reported. The Air Force pointed to pilot errors as the reason for both incidents and apologized to the public over causing concerns, vowing to come up with practical measures to prevent similar accidents. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
21-04-2025
- Korea Herald
Pilot mistook jettison button for heating in KA-1 incident: Air Force
A South Korean Air Force pilot mistakenly pressed the emergency jettison button while attempting to adjust the heating in a KA-1 light attack aircraft that accidentally dropped its weapons and fuel tanks last week, authorities said Monday. The Air Force said the pilot was attempting to adjust an air vent that was disrupting his vision when the incident occurred at 8:22 p.m. on Friday over Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, during a nighttime mock firing exercise. The vent and emergency jettison button, which measure 3.5 centimeters and 3.3 centimeters in diameter, respectively, are located close to each other, contributing to the confusion, authorities said. 'The pilot, who was wearing night vision goggles, reported that strong wind was blowing into his helmet through the ventilation system. While trying to adjust the heater controls near the air vent, he mistakenly pressed the emergency jettison button,' Lt. Col. Jang Dong-ha, spokesperson for the Air Force, said during a press briefing in Seoul. As of Monday, the military had recovered both gun pods, the fuel tanks and 495 rounds of ammunition. Five rounds remained missing. The KA-1, a light attack variant of the KT-1 trainer aircraft, carries two pilots. The jettisoned gun pods, which house machine guns, also contained 500 rounds of 12.7 mm live ammunition. The dropped fuel tanks were empty. The aircraft returned safely to Wonju Air Base after reporting the incident to air traffic control. No emergency procedures were required. In response, the Air Force deployed a helicopter and about 270 personnel to the mountainous area where the equipment was dropped in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province. The Air Force confirmed that the equipment landed in uninhabited mountainous terrain and caused no civilian injuries or property damage. It added that it plans to conduct a comprehensive review of all related systems, including personnel, organizational structure and flight procedures. Training flights, which were suspended following the accident, are scheduled to resume Tuesday. These include the Freedom Flag exercise, a South Korea–US joint air drill that began Thursday and runs through May 2. Friday's incident comes after another one on March 3, when a misfire from a KF-16 fighter jet injured more than 30 people and damaged around 140 homes. That incident was also credited to pilot error, via inputting incorrect targeting coordinates.
Korea Herald
21-04-2025
- Korea Herald
Pilot error blamed for abnormal release of gun pods from KA-1 aircraft
Pilot negligence caused two gun pods and empty fuel tanks to be accidentally released from a KA-1 light attack aircraft last week, the Air Force said Monday. On Friday, the aircraft taking part in nighttime drills over Pyeongchang, about 125 kilometers east of Seoul, jettisoned the parts in a mountainous area. No casualties or property damage have been reported. "Probe results showed negligence of the rear-seat pilot was confirmed to be the cause of the jettison," the Air Force said in a notice to reporters. The pilot in the two-seat aircraft was found to have mistakenly pressed the emergency jettison button while trying to adjust the heater, the armed service said. The Air Force apologized to the public over causing concerns and vowed to come up with practical measures to prevent similar accidents. Operations of all aircraft, which had been mostly grounded following Friday's accident, will resume Tuesday afternoon, it said. (Yonhap)
