A U.S. pilot safely ejected from an F-16 fighter jet Tuesday before the plane crashed into the ocean off South Korea.
The currently-unidentified F-16 pilot was over South Korea’s southwestern shores out of Kunsan Air Base, when around 8:41 a.m. local time on Wednesday (6:41 p.m. Tuesday, EST) he experienced an “in-flight emergency,” which led to the crash, 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs said in a statement. The pilot managed to eject from the plane before the crash and was recovered less than an hour later. He was conscious and was transported to a medical facility for further assessment.
“We are very thankful to the Republic of Korea rescue forces and all of our teammates who made the swift recovery of our pilot possible,” 8th FW commander Col. Matthew C. Gaetke said in the statement. “Now we will shift our focus to search and recovery of the aircraft.”
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No further information on the nature of the emergency will be made available to the public until an investigation is thoroughly concluded, according to the statement. (RELATED: US B-1 Bomber Crashes During Attempted Landing)
This is the second time a U.S. F-16 fighter jet has crashed near South Korea in the last two months. In early December, another pilot experienced an unspecified emergency, forcing him to complete an emergency ejection before the aircraft crashed into the Yellow Sea.
The pilot was also assigned to 8th Fighter Wing, and was awake and in a stable condition after being recovered, according to a statement shared at the time.