List of military accidents in Taiwan explained

This is a list of military accidents in Taiwan (formally known as the Republic of China), primarily involving the Republic of China Armed Forces.

2007

In April eight people aboard a Bell UH-1H military helicopter were killed in a crash.[1] In May a F-5F fighter crashed into base housing occupied by Singaporean personnel, killing the pilots. Nine Singaporeans on the ground were injured and two were killed.[2]

2008

An S-70C Seahawk crash killed one crew member, injured two and left two others missing, [3]

Two pilots were killed after crash landing their AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopter in the island's north. [4]

2011

3 pilots and one RF-5 surveillance plane and a two-seater F-5F trainer.[5] [6]

2015

In 2015 two United States Marine Corps F/A-18C Hornets made an unscheduled landing at Tainan Airport after one of them developed an engine anomaly in-flight. The aircraft were accommodated in an air force hangar until a Lockheed C-130 Hercules full of American technicians could be flown in to repair the aircraft.[7]

2019

In 2019 a Singaporean soldier was seriously injured during nighttime parachute training.[8] He underwent intensive surgery in Taiwan. In 2020 he was flown back to Singapore aboard a Singapore Air Force A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport.[9]

2020

See main article: 2020 ROCAF UH-60M crash. In January Taiwan's top military chief Shen Yi-Ming was killed along with eight other senior officers when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed in the mountains near Taipei.[10]

In July Taiwan's Bell OH-58 Kiowa helicopter fleet was grounded after a crash at Hsinchu Air Force base, killing the two pilots.[11]

In October a F-5 fighter jet crashed and its pilot was killed after it plunged into the sea several hundred meters (a half-mile) off the coast of Taitung County.[12]

In November a F-16 fighter jet crashed minutes after takeoff from Hualien Air Base.[13]

In December a hiker on a coastal trail on Shoushan in Kaohsiung was injured by a stray bullet believed to have originated from an offshore firing range.[14]

2021

Two F-5 fighter jets crashed into the sea near the southeastern coast in an apparent collision, resulting in two deaths. The air force later grounded all F-5s and suspended all training missions, after concerns were raised about both training and maintenance.[15] [16]

2022

In January a F-16 fighter jet crashed into the sea while taking part in training exercises. Combat training for Taiwan's F-16 fleet was suspended in the aftermath of the crash.[17]

On 14 March a Dassault Mirage 2000 fighter jet crashed into the sea after a mechanical problem while on a training mission from Chihhang Air Base.[18]

In May a AIDC AT-3 training aircraft crashed minutes after taking off from the southern port city of Kaohsiung during a training mission. The air force halted all academy training flights as President Tsai Ing-wen ordered an investigation into the cause of the incident.[19]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Army investigating crash cause . . 27 November 2021.
  2. Web site: Chuang . Jimmy . Fighter crash kills crew, Singaporeans . www.taipeitimes.com . Taipei Times . 15 November 2021.
  3. Web site: Taiwan military exercises canceled after deadly crashes .
  4. Web site: Two Taiwan pilots dead in army chopper crash landing .
  5. Web site: Taiwan 'grounds F-5 fighter jets' after crash .
  6. Web site: Three pilots were killed on Tuesday evening when their two military jets crashed in a mountainous region in Taiwan, the Ministry of National Defense .
  7. Web site: Michael Cole. J.. US Marine F-18s Land at Taiwan Air Base, Beijing Protests. thediplomat.com. The Diplomat. 11 November 2020.
  8. Web site: Strong . Matthew . Singaporean paratrooper injured during jump in Taiwan . www.taiwannews.com.tw . Taiwan News . 15 November 2021.
  9. Web site: Zhang . Lim Min . NSF injured in Taiwan parachute training back in Singapore . www.straitstimes.com . Straits Times . 15 November 2021.
  10. Web site: Taiwan’s top military chief killed in chopper crash. 2 January 2020. The Straits Times.
  11. Web site: Two pilots killed in helicopter crash - Taipei Times. 17 July 2020. www.taipeitimes.com.
  12. Web site: Taiwan Fighter Jet Crashes, Fueling Worries About Aging Fleet. 29 October 2020. www.bloomberg.com.
  13. Web site: Taiwan grounds entire fleet of US-made F-16 fighter jets after crash. Brad Lendon. CNN.
  14. Web site: Hiker shot by bullet allegedly from military shooting range . focustaiwan.tw . Focus Taiwan . 16 November 2021.
  15. Web site: Taiwan loses two fighter jets in apparent collision, third such crash in six months. Reuters Staff. 22 March 2021. www.reuters.com.
  16. Web site: Body of fallen F-5E fighter pilot recovered - Focus Taiwan. 2021-04-22. focustaiwan.tw. zh-Hant-TW.
  17. Web site: Taiwan suspends F-16 fleet combat training after jet crashes into sea. CNN.
  18. News: Blanchard . Ben . Lee . Yimou . Gopalakrishnan . Raju . Kasolowsky . Raissa . Taiwan grounds Mirage fighters after jet crashes into sea . 14 March 2022 . Reuters . 2022-03-14.
  19. News: Cindy Wang . Taiwan Pilot Dies in Third Military Jet Crash This Year . Yahoo.