The Republic of China Air Force (RoCAF) is investigating the reasons why one of its Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets, belonging to the 2nd Tactical Fighter Wing, crashed Tuesday, Sept. 10, during a night training flight.
Initial investigations indicate that the Mirage 2000-5 crashed into the sea due to loss of thrust from its Snecma M-53 engine. As a precaution, the RoCAF decided to ground its entire fleet of Mirage fighters while the reasons that caused the incident are being investigated.
The Focus Taiwan newspaper reported that Air Force Chief Inspector Major General Yu Te-chung stated that air safety experts will conduct a thorough investigation to determine whether the loss of thrust was due to mechanical failure, human error or environmental factors.
Search and rescue teams are currently working to locate the aircraft.
“We are still gathering all relevant evidence before compiling an investigative report on the incident and informing the public,” Yu stated.
See also: Taiwan wants to extend the life of some of its Mirage 2000-5
The pilot, Captain Hsieh Pei-hsun, was rescued by the Coast Guard after a two-hour search and transported to a hospital, where he is recovering favorably.
Lt. Gen. Wang Te-yang assured that the temporary grounding of the Mirage 2000-5 will not significantly affect Taiwan’s air defense capability.
