Pilot failed to check coordinates 3 times in fighter jet bombing accident: Air Force
South Korea’s Air Force on Monday apologized for the accidental bombing of a civilian district last week, explaining that their pilots failed to follow the mandatory procedure of checking the coordinates at least three times.
“We would like to again apologize for the concerns we have caused for South Korean citizens regarding the accidental bombing by our fighter jets on March 6,” the Air Force said in a statement.
While reaffirming pilot error as the cause of the accident that left 29 people injured, including 15 civilians, in the border city of Pocheon on Thursday, the Air Force explained that the target coordinates were first incorrectly entered before takeoff.
“The pilot of the first aircraft should have checked the target at least three times throughout the process of the assignment, but failed to do so,” the Air Force said in its interim investigation report.
Two KF-16 fighter jets are blamed for accidentally dropping MK-82 bombs outside a training range during the first South Korea-US live-fire drills of the year, linked to the annual springtime joint exercise between the allies that kicked off Monday.
“Prior to their takeoff, the pilot of the first aircraft shared the coordinates with the pilot of the second aircraft, who incorrectly entered them in the joint mission planning system (the military’s computerized planning system),” the armed services added. “They should’ve double-checked the coordinates, but did not do so — which marks their first mistake.”
Then it became a chain of mistakes. The two pilots continued to save and transfer the incorrect coordinates to a data transfer cartridge, which is fitted on the aircrafts before takeoff. The cartridge on the second aircraft, however, suffered a technical malfunction, which led to the second pilot having to reenter the coordinates himself. While the second pilot managed to correct the coordinates in the process, the first pilot failed to recognize the erroneous numbers.
The first pilot, after takeoff, discovered that the flight trajectory was different to the one taken during the preparatory training course, but went ahead with the bombing in order to meet the target time.
The two pilots will be subjected to questioning by the authorities and could face criminal charges depending on the result of the investigation.
The Air Force plans to decide their punishments based on the outcome of the investigations, a ranking Air Force official told reporters in a closed door briefing.
“Once the probe into the case and a detailed investigation are concluded, we plan to open a disciplinary committee to determine the punishments,” the official said.
The Air Force pledged to bolster measures to confirm target coordinates in military exercises and said that the accident was caused not only by pilot error but also by inadequate management.
“The group commander (colonel), who leads the unit, is tasked with carrying out and delivering orders, including safety instructions from the higher command,” the Air Force said. “However, the checks for plan on the latest military drill and combat were lackluster, while (follow-up on) the safety instructions were passed down to the battalion commander (who is below in rank).”
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Lee Young-su issued a public apology and pledged to prevent such accidents in the future.
“The Air Force, which should protect the lives and property of the people, inflicted harm on the people,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Lee Young-su said in a public apology. “It was an accident that should never have happened and one that should not reoccur.”
The Air Force plans to gradually resume flight training in phases starting Monday, after temporarily halting them following Thursday’s accident. The resumption is in line with the South Korea-US Freedom Shield exercise. Live-fire drills remain exempt from the plan, however, with the armed services seeking to resume after further safety measures are established.
