The investigation found that the mid-air collision of two F-15K jets five years ago occurred because a pilot attempted to take photos and videos during flight as a keepsake of his final mission with the unit, a practice popular at that time.
On 22 Apr 2026 GMT+7, foreign news agencies reported that South Korea’s Board of Audit and Inspection disclosed the mid-air collision of F-15K fighter jets over Daegu in 2021 was caused by a pilot trying to take photos and videos during a mission.
Although the pilots survived without injury, the collision caused significant damage to the aircraft, resulting in repair costs of 880 million won (about 19.2 million baht). One pilot, now discharged from the military, was fined 88 million won (about 1.9 million baht).
The incident occurred because this pilot wanted to take photos as a memento of his final flight with his unit. The audit report noted that taking photos during important flights was a “widespread practice among pilots at the time,” and the pilot had declared his intention to take photos during pre-flight briefing.
During the mission, he served as the wingman, flying behind the lead aircraft. While returning to base, he began using his personal phone to take pictures. Seeing this, the lead pilot instructed another crew member to film the wingman’s aircraft as well.
The wingman then accelerated, pitched the nose up, and rolled the plane to improve the shot’s composition. This sudden maneuver caused the two jets to come dangerously close. Despite the lead pilot’s rapid descent to avoid collision, the two F-15Ks ultimately collided, damaging the lead plane’s left wing and the wingman’s tail fin.
South Korea’s Air Force suspended the wingman pilot, who later resigned to join a commercial airline. The military sought compensation of 880 million won for repairs from him, but he appealed, prompting the Board of Audit and Inspection to conduct this investigation.
The wingman admitted his sudden movement caused the collision but argued the lead pilot implicitly consented since he was aware filming was taking place.
Ultimately, the Board ruled the pilot should pay only one-tenth of the compensation demanded by the military, reasoning that the Air Force also bore responsibility for lacking strict rules regulating pilots’ use of personal cameras.
The Board also considered the pilot’s good service record and his skillful handling of the aircraft to return safely, which prevented further potential damage.
The report did not specify whether any disciplinary actions were taken against other pilots involved in the incident.
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Source:bbc