The F-16, belonging to the 8th Fighter Wing, crashed into the Yellow Sea off South Korea, during a routine training mission.
On Dec. 11, 2023, at around 08.43AM LT, an F-16 Fighting Falcon jet, assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing, based at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, crashed into the Yellow Sea, after an in-flight emergency forced the pilot to eject.
According to a statement released by Kunsan AB on social media, the pilot was recovered by Republic of Korea Maritime Forces, and reported as “awake and in stable conditions” and being returned to his homebase to be evaluated further. As per standard operating procedure, the Air Force will not release his name nor additional details: “the cause of the in-flight emergency is unknown and the incident will be thoroughly investigated. Further details regarding the incident will not be available until the conclusion of the investigation” is the “reminder” included in official statement in order to prevent any speculation to spread.
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“We are grateful for the safe recovery of our airman by our Republic of Korea Maritime Forces Allies and that the pilot is in good condition,” Colonel Matthew Gaetke, the 8th Fight Wing commander, said.
Another F-16 assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing had crashed into a farmland in Pyeongtaek, about 70 km south of the capital Seoul, near Osan Air Base, at about 9:45 a.m. May 6, 2023. The pilot safely ejected and was transported to the nearest medical facility.
