US F-16 fighter crashes off South Korea in third loss of Korea-based jet in a year

CNN:

A United States Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed after suffering an in-flight emergency off the coast of South Korea Wednesday, in the third crash of one of the US military’s Korea-based warplanes in less than a year.

The incident occurred during a training mission over the waters west of the Korean Peninsula around 8:41 a.m. local time, according to a statement from Kunsan Air Base, about 110 miles (180 kilometers) south of the capital Seoul.

The pilot, assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing, ejected safely and was recovered about 50 minutes after the crash, the Air Force statement said. The pilot was conscious and taken to a medical facility for assessment, the base said.

“We are very thankful to the Republic of Korea rescue forces and all of our teammates who made the swift recovery of our pilot possible,” said Col. Matthew Gaetke, 8th Fighter Wing commander, in a statement. “Now we will shift our focus to search and recovery of the aircraft.”

The cause of the in-flight emergency is under investigation, the base said.

Wednesday’s crash was the third of a South Korea-based F-16 in less than a year, though there are no indications they are related.