In brief
A recent audit uncovered that a midair collision involving two F-15K fighter jets in South Korea was caused by pilots taking photos during a flight mission. While the pilots survived without injuries, the incident resulted in substantial repair costs. The audit also noted that this practice was common among pilots, raising questions about regulatory oversight within the air force.
South Korean authorities have found that two fighter jets collided mid-air in 2021 because the pilots were taking pictures and videos. The incident took place while the jets were on a flight mission in the central city of Daegu, according to Seoul's Board of Audit and Inspection. The pilots survived with no injuries, but the collision damaged the planes, costing the military 880 million won ($596,000; £440,500) in repairs. One of the pilots, who has since left the military, was made to pay a fine of 88 million won. The incident occurred because that pilot had wanted to take photos to commemorate his last flight with his military unit, a common practice among pilots at the time, as noted in the audit report. The pilot had declared his intent to do so in a briefing before the flight.While flying back to their base, he started taking pictures using his personal mobile phone. Upon noticing this, the pilot of the lead aircraft asked another pilot on his plane to film a video of the wingman aircraft. The wingman pilot then abruptly flew his jet up higher and flipped it so that it could be better captured on camera. This maneuver brought the two planes very close to each other. To avoid a crash, the lead aircraft tried to rapidly descend, but the two F-15K jets ultimately collided, damaging the lead aircraft's left wing and the wingman aircraft's tail stabilizer.The South Korean air force suspended the wingman pilot, who has since transitioned to commercial aviation. The air force initially sought to fine him 880 million won to cover full repair costs, but after he appealed, the audit board conducted an investigation. The wingman pilot acknowledged that his sudden maneuver led to the collision but argued that the lead aircraft's pilot had 'tacitly consented' to the maneuver since he was aware that filming was taking place.The audit board ruled that the wingman pilot should only pay a tenth of what the air force sought, indicating some fault on the air force's part for not regulating pilots' use of personal cameras effectively. The board also acknowledged the pilot's good record before the incident and that he managed to prevent further damage by safely returning his aircraft. However, it was unclear if any action was taken against the other pilots involved.}
