(6th LD) Body of F-15K pilot in plane crash recovered

All News 21:59 April 05, 2018

(ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead; ADDS more info in 2nd para)

SEOUL/CHILGOK, South Korea, April 5 (Yonhap) -- The body of one of two pilots of a South Korean fighter jet was recovered Thursday after the plane crashed into a mountain in a southern region earlier in the day, the Air Force said.

"The body of the pilot who was sitting in the front seat was recovered during the search. ... We plan to resume the search the next day," the Air Force said.

The F-15K Slam Eagle crashed at around 2:38 p.m. in Chilgok, North Gyeongsang Province, on its way back to the Daegu Air Base after an hourlong mission, according to the Air Force.

The two airmen aboard the aircraft are believed to have been killed in the accident, an official told reporters. They were identified as Capt. Choi, aged 29, and 1st Lt. Park, 27. The local fire authorities earlier found the debris of the plane.

There was no civilian damage reported.

A total of 600 people, including military personnel, firefighters and police officers, are searching for the two pilots, the Air Force said.

Witnesses testified that they heard the sound of a loud bang at the time of the crash.

This file photo shows an F-15K jet. (Yonhap)

It's the first crash involving a South Korean F-15K fighter since 2006. An F-15K jet fell into the East Sea during a nighttime flight, killing two pilots at that time.

An F-16D fighter crashed in North Gyeongsang Province in 2016 but the two pilots survived.

The Air Force first introduced the F-15K, made by Boeing, in 2005. It operates more than 60 F-15Ks.