Pilot rescued after parachuting out of Mirage 2000

Taipei, Sept. 10 (CNA) An Air Force pilot who parachuted out of a Mirage-2000 jet was rescued and reportedly displayed stable vital signs after his aircraft apparently lost power over waters off Hsinchu County on Tuesday night, according to Ocean Affairs Council head Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲).

The pilot was brought onto the deck of a rescue boat "conscious," Kuan said in a Facebook post.

Military sources told CNA that the pilot, Captain Hsieh Pei-hsun (謝沛勳), was located and brought onboard a Coast Guard Administration (CGA) vessel at around 10:39 p.m. His life signs were stable.

The incident occurred at 8:05 p.m., according to a statement issued by the Ministry of National Defense (MND) before the rescue.

The single-seat Mirage 2000, which belongs to the Air Force's 2nd Tactical Fighter Wing, was conducting a night-time drill, the MND said.

Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) ordered a search and rescue mission involving air and sea units to rescue the pilot and identify the cause of the incident as soon as possible, the MND said.

Koo immediately reported the situation to President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and Lai promptly ordered the military, the CGA, and National Rescue Command Center to join the rescue operation and ensure the expeditious and safe recovery of the pilot, according to Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧).

The CGA said that after receiving a report on the incident from the MND at around 8:00 p.m., the agency immediately dispatched a 1,000-tonne patrol vessel, the "Changhua," and four patrol boats to an area about 9 nautical miles off the coast of Waipu in Miaoli County.

Kuan said in a previous Facebook post that the sea in the area where the pilot parachuted from the aircraft was classified at level three to four, with waves reaching one meter in height and water temperature at 30.4 degrees Celsius.