An air force F5F trainer jet crashed in the southern Taiwan yesterday, killing one pilot and injuring the other, military officials said. The two-seat plane crashed near the Chiayi County airport at about 7:28 a.m., less than half an hour after taking off from an air force base in the eastern county of Taitung for a routine training mission, the officials said. The wreckage of the F5F aircraft was found aflame in a crop field in Taipao city, the officials added. While the pilot, Lt. Col. Chou Chieh-wei, 42, died before rescue personnel arrived, his co-pilot, Lt. Hsia Wen-yu, 28, was seriously injured, they said. Hsia was rushed to Chiayi Christian Hospital, and was in stable condition after emergency treatment, the officials said. According to witnesses, the plane hit the railing of a road leading to the Taipao station of the high-speed railway before plunging into the field in flames. The Defense Ministry said the military will set up a special task force to investigate the cause of the accident. Air force officials said collision with birds may be responsible for the crash, after finding feathers and blood stains on the landing gear of another jet fight flying behind the crashed plane. But they said other possible causes will not be ruled out, such as human error, engine failure and environmental factors.
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June 18, 2006 at 6:52 am