Report finds that South Korean fighter jets crashed because pilots snapped pictures. The pilot wanted to take pictures to commemorate his final flight with his unit. Taking photos of significant flight was “a common practice among pilots during that time”, according to a report released on Wednesday. He was flying the wingman plane and was following the leading aircraft during the mission. He began taking pictures with his mobile phone as they flew back to the base. The pilot of the lead plane then asked a pilot on his aircraft to film a video showing the wingman’s aircraft. The wingman pilot then abruptly flipped his jet and flew it higher so that it could better be captured on camera. The two aircraft were very close together. To avoid a collision, the lead aircraft attempted to rapidly descend. But the two F-15K jets eventually collided, damaging the lead aircraft’s left wing and the wingman aircraft’s tail stabiliser.South Korea’s air force suspended the wingman pilot, who has since left the military to work for a commercial airline.Subsequently, the air force sought to fine the wingman pilot 880 million won to cover the full amount of the repair costs. The pilot appealed the fine and it prompted an audit board investigation. He acknowledged that his sudden manoeuvre caused the collision but argued that lead aircraft’s captain had “tacitly agreed” to this manoeuvre because he knew that filming was being done.
