RSAF F-16 jet crashes at Tengah Air Base; pilot ejected safely

The pilot of the F-16 fighter jet which crashed at Tengah Airbase on Wednesday (May 8) afternoon managed to eject from the aircraft before the crash, said the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) in a Facebook post.

The aircraft reportedly suffered an issue during take-off at 12.35pm and the pilot responded in accordance with emergency procedures, it added.

The pilot is conscious and able to walk and is receiving medical attention, and no other personnel were hurt due to the crash.

The RSAF is responding to the situation and detailed investigations are ongoing.

Mindef and the RSAF will provide updates on the incident as soon as they become available.

AsiaOne has reached out to Mindef for comment.

The crashed jet was an F-16C single-seat aircraft, and is the fourth loss of an RSAF F-16 since the type entered service in the late 1980s, The Straits Times reported.

The last crash happened on May 19, 2004 when an RSAF F-16C crashed at Arizona in the US. The pilot, 25-year-old Lieutenant Brandon Loo Kwang Han, was killed in the crash.

This story is developing. 

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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com

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