Midway through a dark sky drill, two F-16s clipped each other - turns out one flyer misjudged distance wearing night gear. Blame lands on flawed depth reading under low light, says Seoul's air unit probe. Goggles may have tricked eyes just enough for metal to meet metal above the clouds.
A plane went down in a hilly area close to Yeongju on February 25. This happened in North Gyeongsang Province. Thankfully, nobody was hurt when the aircraft hit the ground.
Midair Collision During Routine Drill
One jet followed another into the sky just after sunset. The collision came midway through what was supposed to be routine practice. Out of Chungju, they launched on time - 6 fifty eight sharp - for a night mission. Lights out, engines up, the pair climbed together under early evening clouds.
A sudden impact happened midair as the front plane's left-side fuel tank hit the back aircraft’s right wing while both moved through a planned flight turn.
A moment followed the visual check, when fliers look over one another’s gear and outside parts while still airborne.
Night Vision Limits Played a Role
That night, the main pilot struggled to guess how far apart the planes really were, even with help from night vision gear. The gap seemed closer than it actually was through those lenses. What looked like enough space turned out to be too little. Vision tools didn’t fix his wrong estimate. Mistaking the range played a big part in what happened next.
Out in dim conditions, that gear helps - but things get trickier when judging distances between planes because your sense of depth takes a hit and what you see shrinks to a tighter frame.
A wrong number made the plane drift nearer than planned, so metal met metal. The mistake pushed it into what should have stayed clear.
Pilot Escapes After Plane Fails
After the collision, systems on the back airplane started failing fast. Lights faded on the instrument panel while control responses turned erratic, the plane dropping hard right after.
The plane dropped low across rough land, empty of towns or people, so the pilot chose to bail out without delay. Out came the parachute - clear air below meant a clean escape was possible.
A sudden crash tore through the trees, sparking flames that flickered but faded fast. Despite the impact, nobody got hurt nor buildings harmed.
Second Aircraft Lands Without Incident
Out front, the first plane's pilot mentioned slight harm but kept flying just fine. Despite bumps along the way, staying on course wasn’t an issue at all.
Flying back to Chungju Air Base, the pilot reported the accident and where it happened to air traffic control along the way. The landing came without added trouble after that call was made.
Air Force Response
Mistakes happen, said Seoul's air command, when reflecting on what went wrong that day. Regret followed hard on the heels of confirmation.
Besides testing pilot skill, dark skies add pressure when planes fly close together. Without perfect timing - mistakes grow fast.
One moment of hesitation, then everything changes. In military planes, tiny errors grow fast. This time nobody died. Yet the accident shows what happens when judgment slips just once near danger.
When probes wrap up, attention turns toward avoiding repeat events by boosting instruction plus clearer understanding of gear boundaries.