Two ROKAF F-5F crashed - 3 missing

[Tintin]

Press TV
Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:06:19 GMT


Two South Korean air force F-5F fighter jets have crashed into a mountain near Gangneung on the eastern coast of the country during a training mission, officials and witnesses said.

"The two jets crashed into Mount Hwangbyeong, about 20 kilometers west of Gangneung, Gangwon Province, at 12:20 p.m. local time (1520 GMT)," Yonhap News Agency quoted a defense ministry official speaking on condition of anonymity as saying.

The official added, "We are currently searching for the missing three pilots aboard near the area. Two HH-60 rescue helicopters have been dispatched."

The crash marks the seventh time that one of these aging jets has crashed in the country since 2000.

Two South Korean pilots died in 2004 after two F-5E jets crashed in the Yellow Sea in 2004. Another four servicemen died the following year as F-5F and F-4E jets crashed into the same sea during separate drills.

In November 2008, two F-5E fighter jets crashed in Pocheon, just 46 kilometers (28 miles) northeast of Seoul.