Rescued pilot recovering well, visited by President Lai

Taipei, Sept. 11 (CNA) The air force pilot who was rescued after ejecting from his fighter jet before it crashed Tuesday night is in relatively good condition and is expected to make a full recovery, his doctor said, shortly after President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) visited the airman in hospital in Taichung on Wednesday.

Captain Hsieh Pei-hsun (謝沛勳) was rescued by Coast Guard Administration (CGA) personnel at 10:39 p.m., about two hours after his single-seat Mirage-2000 jet apparently lost power during a training operation over waters off Hsinchu County last night.

After being recovered from the water, the airman was taken to the Tungs' Taichung Metroharbor Hospital in Taichung, arriving there at around 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

Hsieh Chih-wei (謝智偉), the attending physician, told reporters on Wednesday morning that the pilot was recovering from relatively minor contusions to his neck and back, which were likely caused by his body's impact on the water after he parachuted from his aircraft.

CT and MRI scans have found no intracranial bleeding or spinal injuries, he added.

The doctor said that Hsieh is currently in relatively good condition "due to luck and his training" and is expected to make a full recovery.

Earlier on Wednesday, President Lai visited the pilot in hospital at around 10 a.m. before expressing gratitude to the CGA, the military and the hospital for their efforts in rescuing and treating him.

The president also called on the nation to continue to support the armed forces that are "training both day and night" and protecting the country around the clock.

"I sincerely ask the people of the nation to fully support the armed forces," Lai told reporters. "In this way, the armed forces will be more powerful in defending our country and only then can our society be safe and stable."

Lai also said that the Ministry of National Defense (MND) will investigate the crash and report to the public once the cause of the incident has been determined.

"The safety of pilots is most important," he added.

Tuesday's crash is the ninth serious incident involving Taiwan Air Force's Mirage-2000s since Taiwan acquired 60 Mirage fighters starting in 1997.

In the nearly 30-year flight history of Taiwan's Mirage-2000s, seven of the aircraft have crashed, with five pilots killed and eight rescued in such incidents.

Later on Wednesday, the Air Force announced that it has grounded all Mirage-2000s pending the results of the investigation into Tuesday night's crash.