South Korea grounds KF-16 jets after Alaska crash: Report

ISTANBUL

South Korea on Thursday temporarily grounded its KF-16 fighter jets after one such aircraft was damaged while taking part in combined air drills with the US in Alaska, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing the country's air force.

The military said that an investigation revealed that the KF-16 fighter jet accident was caused by pilot error, as the aircraft attempted to take off from the taxiway instead of the runway.

An air force official said in a press briefing that the service has decided to continue participating in the Red Flag exercise, which continues through June 27 as planned.

The official said that the air force has "determined that the cause of the accident was not a mechanical failure of the aircraft."

The incident occurred last week during takeoff from the Eielson Air Force Base as part of the Red Flag Alaska drills. Seoul sent 11 aircraft for the Red Flag-Alaska drills this year.

The two pilots on board were confirmed safe after ejecting themselves from the double-seat fighter jet due to the emergency situation at 9.02 am South Korean time (0002 GMT).

South Korea had sent a 20-member team to Alaska to investigate the accident and perform emergency maintenance, under close cooperation with the US side.

Separately, a South Korean navy surveillance plane had crashed in the country on May 29, killing all four uniformed personnel onboard.