Fighter jet crashes north of Seoul, pilot ejects safely

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SEOUL, Nov. 4 (Yonhap) -- A military fighter jet crashed north of Seoul during a flight drill on Tuesday, but its pilot is safe, a Defense Ministry official said.

The F-5E jet crashed in a rice field in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, at 10:25 a.m.
after taking off from a military airport east of Seoul for flight training. The
Air Force pilot, who was identified only by his family name Lee, ejected safely,
the official said, requesting anonymity because he was not in a position to
comment.
The cause of the accident was yet to be identified. It could have been either a
technical defect, human error or weather conditions, the official said.
"A military team has been organized to investigate," the official said. No
casualties were reported among residents near the crash site.
The fighter jet took off from the Air Force airport in Wonju, Gangwon Province,
at 10 a.m.
The military suspended all flights by F-5E jets, manufactured by U.S. firm
Northrop Grumman Co., following the accident, officials said. The Air Force has
about 200 of the F-5E jets.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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