F16 crashes in Chaiyaphum

Channel 7 reported that an F16 jet fighter crashed in a national park in Chaiyaphum Monday morning.

The station reported that the two pilots managed to eject their seats from the plane and parachuted to the ground safely.

-- The Nation 2011-02-14

F16 fighter jet taking part in Cobra Gold military exercises crash at Tardtone Waterfall in Chaiyaphum, pilot safe /TAN_Network

Royal Thai Air Force F-16 fighter crashes in Chaiyaphum during Cobra Gold exercise; helicopters sent on search and rescue mission /MCOT

This must have been a setup so that the military can demand a new F16.

Seriously though, glad the pilot & co-pilot are safe.

Didn't another one go down not so long ago?

"friendly fire" from some poorly trained but trigger happy fellow soldiers from a "friendly army"?

on some military exercises they do use real (sharp) munition

UPDATE

Two F16s crashes in Chaiyaphum

By The Nation

Chaiyaphum

Two F16 jet fighters taking part in the Cobra Gold war exercise collided mid-air and crashed on a mountain in Chaiyaphum Monday morning.

TV reports said pilots of the two planes ejected themselves out of the planes in time.

The authorities have been trying to locate and recue the two pilots from the forest.

Local villagers said they saw a plane crashed on the Lankha Mountain in Muang district.

The villagers said the planes were seen going down in the area of Wang Phone village in Tambon Thahin-ngo, next to Kaengkro district.

-- The Nation 2011-02-14

Two F16 jet fighters taking part in the Cobra Gold war exercise collided mid-air and crashed on a mountain in Chaiyaphum Monday morning.

There goes 1/2 the Thai Airforce in one hit. Looks like they couldn't find the 'enemy' so practiced on each other! I'm thinking Cobra Gold will be winding up early this year through lack of competition.

ups, another tens of millions of $ wasted (on top of the cobra gold exercises)

Oh dear oh dear. Hope everyone got out ok.

And this is practice?

No doubt someone will blame the cambodians or thaksin for this

Every airforce has crashes...

Every airforce has crashes...

Did someone suggest they don't?

Just hoping those pilots were not on their mobile phones.

If they fly planes like they drive.

And there goes the competitive edge in the Cambodian crisis.

General Dynamics are going to be happy about this. I feel a couple of replacements coming up!

Every airforce has crashes...

Did someone suggest they don't?

It is a mute topic in Thailand. How many Harrier jump jets still flying?

$50 million apiece. Anyone know if the blame game has begun yet? Cannot possibly be pilot error, can it?

Wonder if the Cambodian airforce has anything to do with it

No doubt someone will blame the cambodians or thaksin for this

i don't want to disappoint anyone, so let me be the first to blame thaksin

I think the last trans mission from the lead plane was "stay on my wing - close up - no wait - not that ----"

No doubt someone will blame the cambodians or thaksin for this

i don't want to disappoint anyone, so let me be the first to blame thaksin

Thank you

were the pilots wearing helmets

JET CRASH

Pilots of two F16s crashes in Chaiyaphum are safe

By The Nation

Chaiyaphum

Chaiyaphum - Pilots of two F16 jet fighters which collided in mid-air during the Cobra Gold war exercise in Chaiyaphum province Monday morning ejected safely.

The Two F16 jet fighters taking part in the Cobra Gold war exercise collided mid-air and crashed on a mountain in Chaiyaphum Monday morning.

TV reports said pilots of the planes ejected themselves out of the planes in time.

The authorities have been trying to locate and recue the two pilots from the forest.

Local villagers said they saw a plane crashed on the Lankha Mountain in Muang district.

The villagers said the planes were seen going down in the area of Wang Phone village in Tambon Thahin-ngo, next to Kaengkro district.

The planes were taking part in the Cobra Gold exercise in Nakhon Ratchasima but they collided over Wang Phone village.

Air Force spokesman AM Monthol Satchanukorn told The Nation that two F16 fighters disappeared from the radar screen at 10:20 am. The two were among four F16 jets from the Wing Command 1 in Nakhon Ratchasima, which joined the Cobra Gold exercise.

Monthol said Air Force Commander-in-Chief ACM Itthaporn Supawong had dispatched a helicopter and some vehicles to search for the two pilots.

-- The Nation 2011-02-14

Is someone going to have to be reassigned to an inactive post?

Two jet fighters crash in Thailand: air force

BANGKOK, February 14, 2011 (AFP) - Two Thai air force F-16 jet fighters crashed Monday in northeastern Thailand during a joint exercise with the US military but neither pilot was injured, an official said.

"A team was sent to investigate the crash. We don't know yet what caused it," Air Vice Marshall Monthon Satchukorn, a spokesman for the Royal Thai Air Force, told AFP.

He said the fighters disappeared from the radar screen during the exercise and were later found by local villagers. The two pilots ejected and were safe.

Local media reports suggested the two planes may have collided but Monthon said it was too early to speculate about what happened.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2011-02-14

Every airforce has crashes...

The RAF has recently lost 2 Tornados in the Scottish Highlands.

The F-16's in RTAF are probably F-16A/B block 15, last delivered around 1995. They may have been in the schedule to upgrade to Block 50, but not sure that was still on. That upgrade was supposed to help extend the life time to 2020-2025.

Luckily a few Saab JAS 39 Gripen are on the way, although mostly meant as replacement for the Northrop F-5. The F-5 had a major role in the Vietnam war I think, less than 50 years ago. Amazing some of these planes can still fly. Not really amazing they have become accident prone and somewhat less reliable. It's probably like driving a 60's sports car at top-speed for an hour and spending months to get it into a decent shape again (assuming you can find / make spare parts)

I am glad both pilots are ok. But surely there must be falang at fault somewhere