Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Midair Collision of S.Korean Trainer Planes Kills 3

by Reuters

   SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA --

   Two aircraft of South Korea's air force collided in midair Friday
   during a training exercise, killing three pilots, with a fourth missing
   in the rare incident, authorities said.

   More than 30 firefighters and rescuers have begun a search at the crash
   site, the Yonhap news agency said, citing fire officials.

   The crash happened about 6 kilometers south of the KT-1 airplanes' base
   in the southeastern city of Sacheon, at about 1:37 p.m. (0437 GMT), the
   air force said.

   "Despite their attempts at an emergency escape, three pilots died and
   one remains missing," it said in a statement, adding that it had formed
   a team to determine the cause of the accident and damage.

   The KT-1 is a single-engine basic trainer and light attack aircraft
   jointly built by the state-run Agency for Defense Development and a
   contractor, Korea Aerospace Industries.