Taiwan grounds F-16s following suspected crash

Mar 6, 2008, 7:48 GMT

Taipei - The Taiwan Air Force has grounded its F-16 fleet after one of the jets vanished from radar screens and is suspected to have crashed into the sea.

Yang Feng-sheng, spokesman for the Hualien Airbase, told reporters that the air force has ordered checks on F-16 pilots' personal equipment and oxygen system. It is suspected that Tuesday's incident was caused by flaws in the F-16's oxygen system.

'This is for the safety of pilots. The F-16s will start flying as soon as possible,' he said.

The single-seat F-16 took off from the Hualien Airbase on the east coast at 6:50 pm Tuesday on a night training exercise, and lost contact with the base at about 7:18 pm, when the jet was at about 43 nautical miles off the coast.

The air force launched a sea and air search for the jet and its pilot Ting Shih-pao, but has not found the plane's wreckage or Ting yet. There was no SOS signal from the F-16 before it vanished from the radar screen.

On Thursday, the air force ruled out mechanical trouble as the cause of the F-16's disappearance, suspecting pilot disorientation or lack of oxygen as the main reason for the crash.

Spatial disorientation occurs when a pilot has false perception of the aircraft's attitude and motion. All pilots are susceptible to such sensory illusions regardless of experience or proficiency, especially at night in a demanding combat environment.

The Taiwan Air Force ordered 60 F-16A/Bs from the United States in 1992 to boost defences against China. Over the years, Taiwan has lost five F-16s and several pilots in crashes.