S. Korean fighter jet crashes, pilot ejects safely

(ATTN: RECASTS headline; ADDS details on crash, missiles)
SEOUL, Nov. 4 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean Air Force jet crashed north of Seoul Tuesday after grazing the tail of another jet during a flight drill, but its pilot ejected safely, the Air Force said.

The two F-5E jets scraped each other in mid-air at 10:30 a.m., about half an hour
after taking off from a military airport for close air support training, said Lt.
Col. Moon Chae-wook, the Air Force spokesman.
One of the jets crashed in a rice field in Pocheon, 46 kilometers north of Seoul.
The other jet had its tail wing broken but it was able to safely return to its
air base in Wonju, 130 kilometers southeast of the capital, Moon said.
The pilot of the downed aircraft, who was identified only by his surname Lee,
ejected safely before his jet crashed and caught fire, Moon said.
"They were carrying out a close air training operation aimed at supporting the
Army in times of war. It seems that they were unaware that their jets were
approaching each other as they were engaged in the training," Moon said.
The pilot was taken to a hospital where he was found to have sustained no serious
injuries, he said.
Officials said the jets had been carrying two missiles each and that all four
fell off upon impact of the contact. One missile was found near a rural house but
the three others have yet to be located, they said.
There were no casualties on the ground, officials said.
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 jets.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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