RSAF F-16 jet crashes at Tengah Air Base; pilot ejected safely

[UPDATED: May 9, 9.47am]

The pilot is conscious and stable, the Ministry of Defence said in a Facebook post on Wednesday (May 8) night. He underwent a full medical examination and revealed no major injuries.

The pilot, who has 2,000 flying hours on the F-16 aircraft, said he encountered flight control issues upon lifting off the runway at Tengah Air Base for a routine training flight.

RSAF has temporarily suspended training for the F-16 aircraft fleet until investigations show it is safe to resume. Detailed investigations are ongoing and updates will be provided.

The pilot of the F-16 fighter jet which crashed at Tengah Airbase on Wednesday (May 8) afternoon managed to eject from the aircraft before the crash, said the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) in a Facebook post.

The aircraft reportedly suffered an issue during take-off at 12.35pm and the pilot responded in accordance with emergency procedures, it added.

The pilot is conscious and able to walk and is receiving medical attention, and no other personnel were hurt due to the crash.

The RSAF is responding to the situation and detailed investigations are ongoing.

Mindef and the RSAF will provide updates on the incident as soon as they become available.

AsiaOne was at Tengah Air Base at around 3:30pm but did not see the crash site.

AsiaOne has reached out to Mindef for comment.

In a Facebook post at 4.44pm, Defence Minister Ng Eng Heng updated that the pilot has undergone a full medical exam in hospital, including a CT scan.

"No serious injuries were detected – he is ambulant, conscious, and talking. But as a precaution, will stay in hospital for observation," he wrote.

"His alertness and compliance to safety procedures to eject saved his life."

Dr Ng added that he was disappointed over the incident.

The last fighter jet incident was 20 years ago, one which he described as a "credible record".

"The goal for the RSAF must still be zero crashes," he said.

Singapore has operated the F-16 for more than 30 years.

The crashed jet was an F-16C single-seat aircraft, and is the fourth loss of an RSAF F-16 since the type entered service in the late 1980s, The Straits Times reported.

Back on May 19, 2004, an RSAF F-16C crashed at Arizona in the US. The pilot, 25-year-old Lieutenant Brandon Loo Kwang Han, was killed in the crash.

On Sept 30, 2010, an RSAF AH-64 Apache helicopter made an emergency landing in an open field between Woodlands Ave 12 and Woodlands Dr 64 after encountering engine problems. The tail section of the helicopter was damaged during the landing but both pilots were unhurt. 

The RSAF's F-16 fleet was recently upgraded to improve their target location and ground-attack capabilities and keep them operationally ready until the mid-2030s, reported Channel News Asia.

The F-16 fleet will eventually be replaced by the F-35 family of jets, said the RSAF in February last year.

This story is developing. 

* Additional reporting by Khoo Yi-Hang.

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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com