The Air Force has determined that the F-16C fighter jet crash in Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province on the 25th of last month was caused by a mid-air collision between two aircraft.
The Air Force announced on the 4th that the crash occurred when the left fuel tank of Aircraft No. 1 struck the right wing of Aircraft No. 2 during night flight training.
The two pilots took off from Chungju Air Base at 6:58 p.m. on the day of the accident to conduct "advanced tactical training with night vision goggles." Just before the accident, they were performing a "battle damage check" as the final procedure of the training.
A battle damage check is a procedure in which pilots visually confirm each other's aircraft surface and equipment damage, fuel tank and armament status, and fuel leakage during or immediately after a mission.
The collision occurred when both pilots were turning to avoid leaving the mission airspace while approaching its boundary during the battle damage check. The left fuel tank of Aircraft No. 1 collided with the right wing of Aircraft No. 2.
"The accident investigation team confirmed that the pilot of Aircraft No. 1, while wearing night vision goggles, failed to accurately judge the distance and closure rate to Aircraft No. 2, resulting in the mid-air contact," the Air Force said.
Following the collision, Aircraft No. 2's Head-Up Display shut off, making it difficult to determine aircraft attitude. The flight control system malfunctioned, causing the aircraft to continuously lose altitude.
The mission area featured high mountainous terrain, posing significant risk of ground collision if the aircraft failed to quickly recover normal attitude. The pilot of Aircraft No. 2 confirmed no civilian structures were in the projected crash zone and ejected.
The pilot of Aircraft No. 1, determining that despite some damage the aircraft remained controllable, reported the emergency and Aircraft No. 2's crash location to air traffic control before returning to Chungju Air Base.