Pilots Escape the Incident With Minor Burns and Lacerations

On June 10, two South Korean fighter pilots ejected from their F-16 after a failed takeoff attempt. The incident occurred during the multinational Red Flag exercise at Alaska’s Eielson Air Force Base.

The jet, a Lockheed Martin F-16D Fighting Falcon in service with the Republic of Korea Air Force, was just one of many that had travelled to Fairbanks, Alaska, for the recent Red Flag training event. This is a commander-directed field exercise that simulates joint offensive counter-air, interdiction, close air support, and large force employment combat environments.

This time around, the training exercise brought together nearly 1,500 service members from the US, the Republic of Korea, and Japan to fly, maintain, and support upwards of 70 aircraft. Most of these planes belong to Eielson and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska.

At around 4 pm on June 10, a Republic of Korea Air Force F-16 had just taken off from Eielson when it nosed down onto the runway. The two pilots, both captains, were forced to eject as the plane went down. They were picked up by emergency crews as the jet burned.

“It’s not really clear if it left the ground for a second or two,” explained Capt. Faith Hirshmann, a spokesperson for Eielson’s 354th Fighter Wing. “It wasn’t in the air, and then crashed back down. It basically skidded off the pavement.”

The crewmembers received treatment for minor burns and lacerations at Bassett Army Community Hospital on Fort Wainwright before being cleared for release. The plane, however, looks to be in rough shape. Officials are still assessing the damage and investigating the crash.

A similar incident occurred at Eielson in late January. The pilot of an F-35A ejected from his plane as it prepared to land from a training flight. The aircraft also took the brunt of the damage in this event, leaving the pilot uninjured.

FMI: www.eielson.af.mil