South Korean Air Force pilots charged after accidental bombing injures 38

Two South Korean Air Force fighter jet pilots have been booked on charges related to the accidental bombing of a village last week, which left 38 people injured, including 24 civilians.

The incident occurred during live-fire drills involving two KF-16 fighter jets in Pocheon, approximately 40 kilometers north of Seoul. According to the defence ministry, the pilots were responsible for the bombing due to an error in entering the target coordinates, Caliber.Az reports via South Korean media.

The Criminal Investigation Command confirmed that the incorrect input of target coordinates was the direct cause of the accident. As of March 13, the pilots have been charged with professional negligence resulting in injury, as well as causing damage to military facilities, including a church.

"The Criminal Investigation Command has confirmed in the probe to date that the pilots' erroneous entry of target coordinates was the direct cause of the accident," the defence ministry stated in a report.

The bombing, which occurred on March 6, saw the two fighter jets dropping eight MK-82 bombs outside the designated training range. While the bombing occurred during live-fire drills, the pilots’ mistake led to unintended casualties and damages. In an interim probe released earlier this week, the Air Force confirmed that the pilots had multiple opportunities to correct their mistake before takeoff, with at least three chances to catch the error.

Furthermore, the Air Force also pointed to systemic issues in the management and inspection procedures. As a result, two unit commanders have been dismissed for failing to provide clear instructions to their subordinates.

The pilots were found to have manually adjusted the target’s altitude by 1,500 feet on the day of the bombing. This adjustment came after the system automatically recalculated the altitude due to the erroneous latitude coordinates. While the manual adjustment was in line with the training plan, it ultimately prevented the bombs from hitting a block of military residential buildings, which could have caused even more casualties.

“The computer system automatically calculated a new altitude after the pilots wrongly entered the target's latitude coordinates, but the pilots fixed them in accordance with the training plan,” the Air Force explained.

By Vafa Guliyeva