The U.S. military announced that one of its F-16 fighter jets crashed this morning, Wednesday, in the waters off the western coast of South Korea, stating that the pilot managed to survive after successfully ejecting from the aircraft. A statement from the military noted that "an F-16 Fighting Falcon from the Eighth Fighter Wing experienced an emergency while flying over the Yellow Sea and crashed."
The statement added, "The pilot ejected safely and was recovered. He is conscious and has been transported to a medical facility for evaluation." The statement praised the close cooperation with South Korea during the rescue operation.
Colonel Matthew C. Getkey, commander of the Eighth Fighter Wing in the U.S. Air Force, expressed gratitude saying, "We are very thankful to the Republic of Korea rescue forces and all our team members who made the rapid rescue of our pilot possible." He added, "We will now shift our focus to searching for the aircraft and recovering it."
The statement highlighted that "no information will be provided regarding the cause of the in-flight emergency until a thorough safety and accident investigation is completed." The western coast of Gunsan is home to one of the largest air bases used by the U.S. military in South Korea. In December, another F-16 fighter jet crashed during a routine training flight and the pilot was rescued.
