Brave Eagle jet trainer fleet grounded following crash

Taipei, Feb. 15 (CNA) Taiwan's Air Force on Saturday grounded its fleet of T-BE5A Brave Eagle jet trainers after a crash in waters off Taitung earlier the same day.

The Air Force's decision to ground the planes came after one of its two-seater transonic advanced jet trainers (AJT) crashed five nautical miles from the shore around 8:40 a.m. during a training exercise.

According to the Air Force, the sole occupant of the jet trainer was Air Force Major-in-Training Lin Wei (林瑋), who was able to eject and parachute to safety after both of the aircraft's engines failed.

The 34-year-old Lin displayed mild signs of hypothermia following his rescue and is currently under observation at the Mackay Memorial Hospital Taitung Branch, doctors said.

Lin's jet had recorded 183 hours in flight prior to Saturday, the Air Force said.

Lin graduated from Taiwan's Air Force Academy and had clocked a total flight time of 1184 hours before the crash.

Saturday's incident marked the first time a Brave Eagle had suffered an accident since the Air Force started to receive the planes from Taiwan's Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) in 2021 to replace its aging AT-3 jet trainers.

To date, AIDC has delivered 41 out of 66 Brave Eagles ordered by the Air Force. The remaining aircraft are scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2026.