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The results of an investigation into the crash of an Air Force KF-16 fighter jet that occurred last month came out.
It turned out that it was a man-made problem caused by not inserting one ‘nut’ part in the maintenance process 12 years ago.
Reporter Hong Eui-pyo covered the story.
◀ Report ▶
On the 20th of last month, an Air Force KF-16 fighter jet on patrol at night crashed into a hill in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi-do.
At that time, the fighter’s engine came on as a warning light and eventually stopped, and the pilot turned the nose to the side where there was no private house and made an emergency escape.
The Air Force suspended the flight of the KF-16 after the accident and launched an investigation.
After about a month, the result was ‘defective maintenance’.
There was a problem with the fuel supply as the drive shaft of the engine fuel pump was worn out, and the 5-centimeter-sized ‘nut’ securing the drive shaft was not inserted.
These parts were found not to have been put together properly during overhaul in 2010, 12 years ago.
They were all missed during maintenance or verification.
[신종우/한국국방안보포럼 선임분석관]
“There was an absurd accident in which tens of billions of fighter jets crashed with a single nut, but because the process of checking whether maintenance was completed was not thorough…”
The Air Force is inspecting more than 200 engines for the KF-16, and so far, about 40 have been confirmed to be free of problems.
However, as KF-16 fighters are the main fighters operating about 140 units, there are concerns that prolonged inspections may affect readiness, such as tracking North Korean drones.
The Air Force said, “We will do our best to maintain a readiness posture, such as operating emergency standby power during the special engine inspection period.”
In the Air Force, five crashes occurred, including the crash of an F-5 fighter jet in January and the collision of two KT-1 trainers in April, killing five people, including the pilot.
This is Hong Eui-pyo of MBC News.
Video editing: Lee Sang-min / Graphics: Jeong Yeon-gyu Yang Gui-yeon
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