2021 collision of South Korean warplanes caused by pilots taking video, report says

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A 2021 midair collision of two South Korean fighter jets happened because a pilot made an abrupt maneuver to get a better angle for videos of the flight, a government report said.

The Board of Audit and Inspection said in a report Wednesday that the pilot, now a civilian, must pay about 88 million won (around $60,000) to compensate for the damage inflicted on the fighter jets.

The report said that the pilot, then a major, first filmed himself with a camera to mark his final flight with his unit when he was returning to his base after a training mission in December 2021. He then suddenly banked his jet after one of two fellow pilots on the other jet was trying to film him with a mobile phone, according to the report.

His maneuver was made without consultation with the pilots in the other jet, resulting in the collision, the report added.

Both fighter jets safely returned to their base, but the report said that the collision caused about 878 million won (nearly $600,000) in repair costs.

The report said that authorities ordered the pilot to pay only one tenth of the total repair costs, because he told other pilots involved about his intentions to film himself before the training and that they appeared to have “implicit consent” to his plan. It said that the other pilots had experience of taking video during other earlier flights.

The report said that authorities were also responsible for the collision for failing to strictly restrict such filming among pilots.

South Korea’s air force apologized Thursday over the finding. It said that the pilot was already disciplined, and had his flight duties suspended.

The air force said that it will study steps to prevent similar incidents in the future.