Taipei - The Taiwan Air Force has grounded its F-16 fleet
after one of the jets vanished from radar screens and is suspected to
have crashed into the sea.
Yang Feng-sheng, spokesman for the Hualien Airbase, told reporters
that the air force has ordered checks on F-16 pilots' personal
equipment and oxygen system. It is suspected that Tuesday's incident
was caused by flaws in the F-16's oxygen system.
'This is for the safety of pilots. The F-16s will start flying as
soon as possible,' he said.
The single-seat F-16 took off from the Hualien Airbase on the east
coast at 6:50 pm Tuesday on a night training exercise, and lost
contact with the base at about 7:18 pm, when the jet was at about 43
nautical miles off the coast.
The air force launched a sea and air search for the jet and its
pilot Ting Shih-pao, but has not found the plane's wreckage or Ting
yet. There was no SOS signal from the F-16 before it vanished from
the radar screen.
On Thursday, the air force ruled out mechanical trouble as the
cause of the F-16's disappearance, suspecting pilot disorientation or
lack of oxygen as the main reason for the crash.
Spatial disorientation occurs when a pilot has false perception of
the aircraft's attitude and motion. All pilots are susceptible to
such sensory illusions regardless of experience or proficiency,
especially at night in a demanding combat environment.
The Taiwan Air Force ordered 60 F-16A/Bs from the United States in
1992 to boost defences against China. Over the years, Taiwan has lost
five F-16s and several pilots in crashes.
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