Air Force Concealed Midair Collision Between Trainer Jets

[Anchor]

It has been confirmed that a midair collision between trainer aircraft occurred at the Air Force's 3rd Flying Training Wing, the same unit where a controversial drinking gathering took place. Two months ago, two KT-1 trainer aircraft collided in midair before making emergency landings. The incident, which could have easily resulted in casualties, was reportedly kept quiet internally.

Senior Defense Reporter Kim Tae-hoon has the exclusive story.

[Reporter]

On the morning of September 1, a KT-1 trainer aircraft assigned to the Air Force's 3rd Flying Training Wing conducted a flight training exercise simulating an engine failure in the airspace near Sacheon Air Base in South Gyeongsang Province.

At the same time, another KT-1 approached the base while circling to land.

Unaware of each other's location, the distance between the two planes closed, leading to a midair collision in which the wing of one aircraft struck the fuselage of the other.

Fortunately, both aircraft managed to make emergency landings, and no casualties were reported.

However, the wings and fuselages of both trainer planes were severely damaged.

It was confirmed that the Air Force deemed the damage repairable for operational use, repaired the aircraft, and redeployed them to the 3rd Flying Training Wing.

Although the Air Force reported the collision to the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff and compiled an accident investigation report, it has not disclosed the incident to the media even after two months.

The KT-1 is an aircraft that demands heightened attention to flight safety, particularly after four service members were killed in a midair collision in April 2022. Nevertheless, the Air Force reportedly did not share the incident report with all of its units.

Amid a series of continuous fighter jet and transport plane accidents following the KF-16 accidental bombing incident in Pocheon in March of last year, voices within the Air Force point out that the service covered up this latest collision to avoid criticism over lax discipline.

The Air Force explained, "We did not notify the media because the aircraft made safe emergency landings and there were no casualties."

Video by Jeong Seong-hoon | Graphics by Kim Han-gil
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.