Air Force probes trainer jet's crash site

The investigators examined the plane's debris scattered over a large area. They also took measurements of the site, located in a wooded area of aboriginal reservation land.

An Air Force official said the investigators are expected to need 10 days before they can complete the measurements.

After the on-site work is done, the debris will then be transported back to the Air Force base, the official added.

The pilot and co-pilot of the AT-3 managed to eject before it crashed. They suffered bone fracture injuries.

Their plane touched another trainer jet in midair in the same training mission, according to media reports. The other plane returned to the air force base after the incident.

The Air Force has yet to release an official report.

The owner of the wood said it was a blessing that only some of the trees were burnt and the two air force officers were safe.

The pilot, 1st Lt. Tseng Kuo-wei, and the co-pilot, Lt. Col. Chang Kuo-chiang, have been transferred to a military hospital in Kaohsiung for further treatment after receiving operations at a local hospital in Pingtung, the Air Force said. Tseng sustained bruises and mild concussion, while Chang suffered a bone fracture. The Air Force has grounded all of its AT-3 trainer planes for inspection following a mid-air collision of two aircraft Friday.

Statistics show that the aging trainers have been involved in 12 mishaps over the past three decades, resulting in the death of seven pilots and injury to nine others.

No one was seriously hurt in Friday's crash, as the two pilots on one of the aircraft parachuted to safety and the other two managed to fly their plane safely back to the air base.

The Air Force said that the two trainer planes collided 33 minutes after they took off from Gangshan Air Force Base at 3:39 p.m.

The Air Force had initially ruled that human error could have caused Friday's crash as the planes did not maintain a safe distance apart.

However, “we have to await an investigation by experts to determine the cause of the crash,” the Air Force said.

An Air Force investigative team went to the mountainous region of Chunrih Village, in Pingtung County on Saturday to inspect the site at which the trainer went down.

The investigators said the debris was spread over a wide area in the southern county.

The body of the plane was smashed and the ground was scorched where it fell, the investigators said. The engine was found 100 meters away, they said.

The Air Force estimated that it would need more than 10 days to complete the measurement and investigation, after which it will clean up the debris.

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