F-16 Fighter Pilot Missing Off Taiwan’s East Coast

REPORTER:  

The search is on for an F-16 fighter pilot, whose jet crashed off Taiwan’s east coast on Tuesday. Authorities are now combing the seas in a case that has captured the nation’s attention.

REPORTER:  

Battling rough seas off Hualien on Taiwan’s east coast, the Coast Guard looks for a missing pilot.

REPORTER:  

Late on Tuesday, his F-16 fighter jet crashed off Hualien during a nighttime training flight. The pilot, an Air Force captain surnamed Hsin, is believed to have ejected though that hasn’t been confirmed.

REPORTER:  

The defense ministry says full-scale search and rescue operations are underway.

BITE:  

We have already deployed 13 aircraft  

as well as 11 naval vessels.  

In addition, the Second Operational Zone  

has deployed ground personnel  

a total of 119 people  

to carry out search operations along the coast.

REPORTER:  

The defense ministry says Hsin took off at 6:17 p.m., but reported losing visibility in the clouds not long afterward. He then said he was rapidly dropping in altitude and mentioned ejecting three times before his aircraft disappeared from radar.

REPORTER:  

Officials say an initial investigation shows the captain had passed all required flight medical checks and survival training, and that weather conditions met training standards.

REPORTER:  

But they say a possible malfunction in the jet’s computer could have caused the pilot to lose his orientation in the air.

BITE:  

Last night, he was already aware that  

he was experiencing spatial disorientation  

and he reported it.  

At the same time, he checked his altimeter  

and saw that his altitude was dropping.  

The final safeguard for our pilots is to eject.  

So he did everything he was supposed to do.

REPORTER:  

Spatial disorientation means a pilot is unable to accurately determine the aircraft’s orientation, altitude, or speed. Analysts say it’s especially dangerous during nighttime flights or in poor weather conditions.

BITE:  

Spatial disorientation has to be addressed  

by relying on instruments.  

If you make even a slight error in judgment  

or experience an illusion  

it’s actually very easy to make a control error.  

Basically, you have to rely on the instruments  

you have to trust the data  

and not rely too much on your own senses.

REPORTER:  

President Lai Ching-te has weighed in on Facebook, promising his government will do all it can to bring the pilot home safely.