DEFENSE/Mirage-2000 pilot returns to flying status: Taiwan's Air Force

Taipei, Oct. 19 (CNA) A Taiwanese fighter pilot who ejected to safety from a Mirage-2000 jet that later crashed into waters off Hsinchu County after losing power last month has returned to flying, according to Taiwan's Air Force.

Captain Hsieh Pei-hsun (謝沛勳) has been restored to flight status, making every effort to be back in the cockpit safeguarding Taiwan's airspace, the Air Force wrote on its Facebook page on Friday.

The social media post also included a video of Hsieh sharing the experience of his path to recovery.

The pilot was rescued by Coast Guard Administration personnel after his single-seat Mirage-2000 jet lost power during a training operation over waters off Hsinchu County on Sept. 10. He was hospitalized with minor injuries.

In the video, Hsieh said he was extremely lucky to not be seriously injured from the ejection and to be able to return to flying after recuperating for a little over a month following the incident.

According to sources familiar with the matter, he returned on a flight mission with a twin-seat Mirage-2000 jet on Oct. 15.

Hsieh has logged 795 flight hours, including 509 hours flying the French-made fighter, the Air Force said after the incident in September.