Rescue operations launched after F-16V crashes off Hualien (update)

Taipei, Jan. 6 (CNA) A captain surnamed Hsin (辛) is believed to have ejected from an F-16V (Block 20) single-seat fighter jet about 10 nautical miles east of Fengbin Township in Hualien County during a routine training mission at 7:29 p.m. Tuesday, the Air Force said.

The Air Force said that it has established an emergency response center and launched a search and rescue operation.

The fighter jet took off from the Hualien Air Base at 6:17 p.m. for a night-time training mission, according to the Air Force.

The pilot, identified as Hsin Po-yi (辛柏毅), had clocked a total flight time of 611 hours, including 371 hours flying F-16V, before Tuesday's incident, the Air Force said.

The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said later that it has dispatched vessels from its northern, eastern and southern fleets to the scene and has also contacted nearby commercial cargo ships to assist in the search and rescue operation.

Vessels from the Sixth (Hualien) Coast Guard Corps are expected to be among the first to reach the site, sources said.

A Black Hawk helicopter from the National Airborne Service Corps has also been deployed to waters off Fengbin to conduct an aerial search, while rescue aircraft have arrived at the target area and a C-130 transport plane has dropped illumination flares to aid nighttime operations, an airborne service official told CNA.

Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) wrote on Facebook that joint air and sea rescue efforts involving the Ministry of National Defense, the Coast Guard and airborne rescue teams are underway, adding that a cargo ship located about 6.3 nautical miles from the scene had also been contacted to assist in the operation.