Terrifying moment military plane nose-dives into the ground minutes after take-off in South Korea, killing four crew
The US-made Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion, went down on May 29 near the southeastern city of Pohang.
The P-3 aircraft crashed about six minutes after it left a naval base in the Nam-gu district at 1.43pm (4.43am GMT), the navy said in a statement.
The remains of the four crew members have been recovered and no civilian casualties were reported, the navy added.
Footage of the horror smash released by local media shows thick black smoke rising from the crash site, located in a forested area near Sinjeong-ri.
Mangled pieces of charred metal were seen scattered on the ground in the aftermath of the incident.
A Pohang emergency office said rescuers were dispatched after receiving reports from residents that an unidentified aircraft fell to the ground on a hill near an apartment complex and sparked a fire.
The US-made Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion, went down on May 29 near the southeastern city of Pohang, just seven minutes after taking off from a naval base
Shortly after the devastating incident, the South Korean Navy said in a statement that the aircraft had departed at 1:43pm for a routine exercise before it 'crashed near the base for reasons yet to be determined'.
It added that it had established a task force to investigate the cause of the crash and temporarily suspended all flights of P-3s.
Manufactured by Lockheed Martin, the platform is equipped with four turboprop engines and capable of deploying torpedoes, depth charges, and anti-ship missiles.
South Korea initially acquired eight P-3C aircraft and later added eight more upgraded P-3CK variants, modified by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) from former US Navy P-3B airframes.
In total, sixteen aircraft have served in patrol roles across the East, West, and South Seas, with the P-3C earning a reputation as a capable 'submarine killer.'
The Navy previously marked two decades of accident-free operations with the P-3C in 2005 and 2015.
However, the crash this week coincides with the fleet's 30th year in service.
In 2017, a P-3CK mistakenly dropped six weapons, including Harpoon anti-ship missiles, due to crew error during a mission.
Following the devastating incident, the South Korean Navy said in a statement that the aircraft had departed at 1:43pm for a routine exercise before it 'crashed near the base for reasons yet to be determined'
A Pohang emergency office said rescuers were dispatched after receiving reports from residents that an unidentified aircraft fell to the ground on a hill near an apartment complex and sparked a fire
The incident comes after a Jeju Air passenger plane crashed at Muan International Airport in southern South Korea in December, killing all but two of the 181 people on board.
That crash was one of the deadliest disasters in South Korea's aviation history.
And in March, South Korean military investigators charged two Air Force pilots on with criminal negligence over an accidental bombing of a village during a training exercise, which injured at least 29 people and caused extensive property damage.
Defense Ministry investigators have confirmed that errors by the pilots when they entered coordinates into the aircraft systems were 'direct factors' behind the accidental bombing, the ministry's Criminal Investigation Command said in a statement at the time.
The pilots were charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm, the command said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
US Navy ship erupts in flames near Japan
A US Navy ship, the USS New Orleans, caught fire while docked in Okinawa, Japan, on Wednesday 20 August 2025. The incident occurred close to an American military port at approximately 5pm local time. Footage showed multiple fire engines attempting to extinguish the blaze, with crews from both the US military and Japan Self-Defense Forces responding. The Japan Coast Guard confirmed no injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is yet to be determined. Watch the video in full above.
Reuters
5 hours ago
- Reuters
China's Xi makes second-ever visit to Tibet as president
BEIJING, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa on Wednesday for his second-ever visit as China's leader to mark the 60th anniversary of Tibet's founding as an autonomous region. Six years after the 14th Dalai Lama fled into exile in India following a failed uprising, China's ruling Communist Party established the Tibet Autonomous Region in 1965, the country's fifth and final autonomous region after Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Guangxi and Ningxia. The designation was meant to offer local ethnic minority groups such as the Tibetans greater say over policy matters, including freedom of religious belief. But international human rights groups and exiles routinely describe China's rule in Tibet as "oppressive", an accusation that Beijing rejects. "To govern, stabilise and develop Tibet, the first thing is to maintain political stability, social stability, ethnic unity and religious harmony," state media cited Xi as saying to senior Tibet officials on Wednesday. Xi last flew to Tibet in July 2021 where he urged people there to "follow the party" in a visit largely perceived by outside observers to signal the Communist Party's confidence that order had finally been established in a region with a long history of protest against Chinese rule. During a brief period following the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when China further opened its doors to the outside world, Tibet was rocked by protests by monks and nuns, and then a series of self-immolations. Tibetan Buddhism must be guided to adapt to China's socialist system, Xi said. Prior to 2021, the last Chinese leader to visit Tibet was Jiang Zemin in 1990. More broadly, Tibet is a highly strategic region for China due to its border with India. Troops from both sides had clashed at their border over the years. The Himalayan region also possesses abundant natural resources including immense hydropower potential. Xi's arrival in Tibet coincided with a rare trip this week by China's top diplomat Wang Yi to India, where both countries pledged to rebuild ties damaged by a deadly 2020 border skirmish. China's latest mega hydropower project in Tibet has also unsettled India downstream. Xi said the project must be "vigorously" pursued as part of China's carbon reduction goals while protecting Asia's "water tower". Xi was accompanied by Wang Huning and Cai Qi, the party's fourth and fifth-ranked leaders. In 2015, the party sent the now retired Yu Zhengsheng, who held the equivalent rank of Wang at the time, to Tibet for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Tibet Autonomous Region.
The Guardian
6 hours ago
- The Guardian
How to turn beetroot tops into a delectable Japanese side dish
The ohitashi method is such an elegant way to enhance the natural flavours of leafy greens, while also reducing food waste. This traditional Japanese technique involves blanching and chilling leafy greens, then steeping them in a simple seasoned broth that imparts a wonderful and rounded savoury umami flavour. Most recipes for such greens use just the leafy part, but with ohitashi the stems are cooked first. Ohitashi is a wonderful way to prepare vegetables in advance, because the vegetables need to steep in a delicious broth for at least a few hours and up to five days, soaking up the marinade as they age. You can make ohitashi-style vegetables with just about any leafy greens: spinach, kale, chard, radish leaves, turnip tops or nettles. Cooking greens quickly, then blanching them in iced water, is a classic chef's trick that helps maintain their bright colour by halting the cooking process and preserving the chlorophyll. I cool blanched vegetables very quickly using a large tray of very cold water cooled with ice blocks (to save on ice) and prevent a loss of nutrients (and flavour!), which can happen when vegetables are steeped for an extended period. Normally, to make the dashi/broth for ohitashi, a piece of kelp or kombu is infused in cold water for several hours, or brought to a boil then taken off the heat. I've suggested using other seaweed varieties such as wakame, hijiki or even seaweed salad mix, if you have it. And rather than discarding the seaweed, I keep it in the broth, which is why I've reduced the amount used so it isn't overpowering; after all, seaweed is an acquired taste, so if you're not used to it, consider removing it after steeping or using less. Alternatively flavour the water with miso. 2g dried kelp (kombu), or other seaweed (sea spaghetti, wakame, seaweed salad mix), or 1-2 tbsp miso, to taste1-2 tbsp mirin, or rice-wine, white-wine or cider vinegar1-2 tbsp light soy sauce, to taste1 bunch beetroot leaves (about 250g), including the stalks, or other leafy greens (chard, kale, turnip tops), washedToasted sesame seeds, to serve If you have some seaweed, first make a broth by pouring 120ml water into a glass jar or bowl, add the kombu and leave to soak for at least one hour, and ideally for five hours or overnight in the fridge. (If you want to speed up this process, bring the water and seaweed to a boil, then take off the heat and leave to cool). If you don't have seaweed, stir miso to taste into 120ml water. Either way, once infused, add the mirin and light soy sauce to taste, bring to a boil, then turn off the heat. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water (or steamer) to a boil and have ready a bowl of iced water. Hold the bunch of greens stalk down in the boiling water (or steamer), keeping the leaves out of the water, cook for 60-90 seconds, then gently drop in the leaves, too, and cook for a further 30-60 seconds, until they are vivid and bright green. Lift out into the ice bath to cool, then, once cold, transfer the leaves to a clean towel and dab to soak up any excess water. Keep the greens whole in all their glory or chop them into 5cm pieces for ease of eating. Lay them in a suitable container, cover with the broth, seal and refrigerate for at least a few hours and up to five days. To serve, arrange the greens on a plate, drizzle over a little broth and a sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
