SEOUL (BERNAMA-YONHAP) – The Air Force has grounded nearly all of its aircraft after a KA-1 light attack aircraft accidentally released two gun pods and empty fuel tanks last week, Yonhap News Agency reported citing an official.
On Friday, the aircraft taking part in nighttime drills over Pyeongchang, about 125 kilometres east of Seoul, jettisoned the parts in a mountainous area. No casualties or property damage have been reported.
In response, the Air Force has decided to impose flight restrictions on all of its aircraft, excluding those that conduct reconnaissance operations or are on emergency standby until tomorrow morning, according to the Air Force official.
The move is expected to affect the Freedom Flag air exercise, a large-scale combined exercise between South Korea and the United States (US), under way since Thursday.
The exercise, which is set to run through May 2, involves some 1,100 troops and 90 aircraft from both sides, including South Korea’s F-35A, F-15K and KF-16 fighter jets, and the US F-16 and F-35 B fighters and MQ-1 and MQ-9 drones. The exercise is expected to resume tomorrow afternoon.
As part of response measures, Air Force Chief of Staff General Lee Young-su will hold a meeting of commanders and urge tightened command and inspection to prevent similar accidents.
The Air Force has yet to retrieve the fuel tanks and several of the 500 rounds of 12.7 millimetre live ammunition that dropped on Friday.
The accident occurred just about a month after two KF-16 fighter jets mistakenly dropped eight MK-82 bombs outside a training range in Pocheon, some 40 kilometres north of Seoul, during live-fire drills on March 6, injuring 52 people, including 38 civilians.
Both the Defence Ministry and the Air Force have pointed to pilot errors as the main cause of the accident in interim probes.
The Air Force has launched a committee to determine the exact cause of the latest
accident.
