Taiwan’s air force suspended training flights on T-34 jets after one plane crashed during a simulated engine failure exercise on Tuesday, killing the two pilots on board.
The single-engine propeller plane crashed at 8:08 a.m. (0008 GMT) at the northern end of the runway at Gangshan Air Base in the island’s southern port city of Kaohsiung, the air force said.
A task force has been set up to investigate the cause of the crash, which occurred about 20 minutes after takeoff.
The pilots, both lieutenant colonels and aged 41 and 45, had reported no problems with the plane in the moments before the crash, said air force inspector general Maj. Gen. Chiang Yi-cheng.
“Throughout the flight there was no abnormal radio communication prior to the accident,” Chiang said at a news conference.
President Lai Ching-te said he was “deeply saddened” by the loss of life, describing the pilots as “heroic” and thanking them for their “sacrifice and dedication” to Taiwan.
The Taiwanese air force uses Beechcraft single-engine propeller planes as the primary training aircraft for its pilots, according to the defense ministry’s website.
The aircraft were first delivered to Taiwan in 1984.
In January, an F-16 fighter jet crashed into the sea off eastern Taiwan during a routine training mission. The pilot is believed to have ejected from the plane but has not been found.
