South Korean fighter planes collided while pilots took photos: report<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nA newly released report from South Korea’s Audit and Inspection Board revealed that a mid-air collision between two F-15K fighter planes in 2021 was caused by an attempt by the pilots to take commemorative photos and video. <\/p>\n
The incident occurred when the jets were on a flying mission over the central city of Daegu. Remarkably, the pilots escaped without injury, but the aircraft were damaged by the collision, which cost the military 880 million won in repairs.<\/p>\n
According to the audit board, a report published Wednesday made clear that taking photographs of important flights “was a widespread practice among pilots at the time.”<\/p>\n
The pilot had declared his intention to do so in a pre-flight briefing as he was flying the wingman aircraft and following the lead aircraft to complete the mission. <\/p>\n
The actual cause of the collision was a sudden move by the wingman pilot to get a better camera angle for a commemorative photograph. <\/p>\n
The chief pilot saw the wingman taking photographs and instructed his crew to film the wingman. The resulting maneuver brought the jets very close; Despite a rapid landing by the lead aircraft, the two F-15Ks collided. <\/p>\n
Both aircraft were damaged, resulting in repair costs of \u20b9880 million. On the other hand, the Air Force initially sued the wingman pilot for the entire repair amount. <\/p>\n
The pilot appealed, arguing that the chief pilot had given “tacit consent” to the filming.<\/p>\n
The wingman pilot has left the army and is now working with a commercial airline. Additionally, the Board also took into account the pilot’s strong prior track record and that he prevented further damage by quickly regaining control of the aircraft. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n