ROC F16 FIGHTERS CONTINUE TO CARRY OUT MISSIONS
Chiayi County, southern Taiwan, Nov. 30 (CNA) Despite a US newspaper report that mechanical flaws are to blame for many F16 fighter crashes, the Republic of China Air Force's F16s will continue to carry out missions and training as usual, the air force said on Tuesday.
The Washington Times reported on Monday that most of the recent crashes of US F16 fighters have been due to mechanical flaws, especially in the engines, rather than pilot error.
The ROC Air Force has lost four of the US-built advanced fighter jets since they were commissioned last year. Here is a chronology of the accidents which have occurred:
-- March 20, 1998: A two-seater F16 goes missing in the waters around the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait and no remains are found;
-- Jan. 25, 1999: A two-seater F16 crashes into a mountain in Taitung, eastern Taiwan, killing the two airmen on board;
-- June 1, 1999: A single-seater F16 goes missing in the waters off Taitung. The whereabouts of the pilot and the fighter are still unaccounted for;
-- Aug. 18, 1999: A single-seater F16 crashes into the waters off the coast of Hsinchu, northern Taiwan. The pilot ejects and is rescued.
According to air force officials, however, the main reasons for the local crashes were flaws in navigation, rather than mechanical problems. In addition, they pointed out, the types of F16s flown by the US and ROC air forces are different, so the ROC F-16's will continue to carry out training missions as usual. (By David Hsu)
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