Taiwan air force F-16 fighter jet goes missing at the start of annual military drills
According to Taiwan’s air force, it was searching for an F-16 fighter jet that went missing at the start of annual live-fire drills.
The single-seat jet disappeared off the radar over mountainous terrain in the northeastern county of Keelung
The plane disappeared at 13:43 pm, 34 minutes after takeoff
31-year-old Major Wu Yen-ting a Taiwanese fighter pilot was confirmed dead after his F-16 jet crashed in northern Taiwan
Wu was also involved in the last F-16 accident in Taiwan, in 2013
The jet was thought to have encountered problems above New Taipei City
All contact from fighter jet was lost over the Keelung Mountains
when he parachuted to safety following a suspected mechanical failure.
The five-day drill kicked off Monday
In November, Taiwan’s air force temporarily grounded all its Mirage jets as it searched for a pilot who went missing while conducting a training mission in one of the French-made fighters. Both pilot and plane are yet to be found.
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