Video Shows South Korean Black Eagles T-50 Accident at Changi Airport

February 6, 2018 Airshows, Aviation Safety / Air Crashes
David Cenciotti

A Republic of Korea Air Force T-50 trainer belonging to the Black Eagle aerobatic team suffered a burst tyre and flipped over, resulting in a fire. Here’s the video.

A ROKAF T-50 jet with the Black Eagles team caught fire on the runway at Changi Airport, Singapore, at 1.24PM LT on Feb. 6, 2017.

The aircraft was taking off within a 3-ship section in preparation for a display at the Singapore Airshow when it reportedly suffered a burst tyre, skidded into the grass close to the runway 02L/20R, flipped over and caught fire. According to the first reports, the pilot escaped the aircraft with minor injuries.

Here’s the video of the accident.

Nicknamed “Black Eagles”, the 53rd Air Demonstration Group is the official aerobatic display team of the ROKAF since Dec. 12, 1994. Back then they flew the Cessna A-37B Dragonfly aircraft. The team is based at Wonju airbase and is equipped with the T-50 Golden Eagle since 2010, when the team was reactivated after a being temporarily disbanded in 2007.

H/T Shawn Chung for the heads-up

About David Cenciotti
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David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.

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7 Comments

  1. Lucky for him he didn’t get killed. And being they were practicing for this upcoming air show shouldn’t emergency crews be doing likewise and be ready to pounce on an incident like that? Where were they?

    Decision time when you start departing the runway. Do you punch out or stick with the aircraft? Lots of pilots have been killed after their gear digs into the grass and the plane flips over. What would I do? As soon as that plane started veering towards the grass I’d say time to pull the handle. It’s a split-second but critical – perhaps life critical – decision. I think this pilot stuck with the aircraft when he shouldn’t have.

    • The crash happened at Changi International Airport. If you search YouTube for videos of the incident you’ll find that crash response arrived within 90 seconds, just as the pilot crawled out.

  2. Good news for fans of real fighter aviation (not heritage like Su-35, MiG-29, Su-30, etc.). F-35B, the most exciting performer at any air show, will be making an appearance in Singapore:

    F-35 Expanding Footprint in Asia-Pacific

    “As a prelude to the coming expansion of the F-35 in Asia, two U.S. Marine Corps F-35Bs belonging to the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron-121 “Green Knights” arrived at Changi on Feb. 3 as part of the U.S. delegation to the Singapore Airshow.

    Although not stated by the U.S. Defense Department, the presence of America’s two (F-22 is going also) most sophisticated fifth-generation stealth fighters at the show sends a powerful message to friend and foe alike that Washington will defend its interests, and allies, in the region.”

    http://aviationweek.com/singapore-airshow-2018/f-35-expanding-footprint-asia-pacific

    The power of American 5th Generation. Time the whole world got to see it. Make no mistake – enemies will think twice about provoking any air force that is wise enough to field this 5th Gen killer!

    Not a single aircraft on Earth can match either F-22’s or F-35’s lethal capabilities. One look at the fighter and chills run down any pilot’s spine. Especially those who think they might be unfortunate enough to possibly some day have to face it. Their first thought (after admiring the beauty of its clean form and powerful F135 engine)? They can’t beat it!

    • QUOTE: Not a single aircraft on Earth can match either F-22’s or F-35’s lethal capabilities. COMMENT: I admire your confidence in 5th Gen platforms. Indeed, they are a formidable asset. But, what I worry about is over-confidence. China and Russia have enough funding and know-how to compete. The questions are: When can they compete? What types of responses (weapons, sensors, etc.) will they develop to minimize the advantages of the F-22 and F-35?

      • Well, J-20 is now deployed with Chinese units. I see how much they stole from the U.S. and incorporated into its design and I say … if your own R&D didn’t make it, you can’t build the nuances that make a system superior. DAS for instance, or RAM. That, and the J-20 is based on a Soviet design that was rejected (MiG 1.44) by the Russians. You can’t steal your way to superiority. So?

        I think our 5th gen will outperform the Chinese, Russia’s PAK FA isn’t even deployed (and won’t be in any numbers at least until 2027, and probably few even beyond that), is inferior in stealth to begin with, India reports its a piss-poor design, and come 2027 the U.S. will be considering designs for our 6th Gen tailless fighter. What does that all add up to? In my mind …

        Superiority and confidence. I’d rather go to war in ours rather than theirs. Naturally no war is the preferred option. But we (the U.S. and NATO) aren’t agitating for it! Plus look at all the expertise from various countries we get to tap into thanks to our alliances. Technology from the UK, Japan, Israel. Perhaps in time India. We have the alliances and partnerships, Beijing does not. My belief is that will help keep us ahead (of China. I discount impoverished Russia. They’re not a player). Time will tell. Hopefully conflict will not.

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