President Lai honors F-16V pilot who died in January training accident

Taipei, July 19 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Sunday presented a posthumous presidential citation honoring Air Force pilot Hsin Po-yi (辛柏毅), who died after his F-16V fighter jet crashed during a nighttime training mission off eastern Taiwan in January.

Hsin's father, Hsin Chin-yu (辛進裕), accepted the citation from Lai at a ceremony in Hualien County, according to a statement issued by the Presidential Office on Sunday.

Hsin, who served with the Air Force's Hualien-based 5th Tactical Composite Wing, was posthumously promoted from captain to major and awarded the Order of Loyalty and Valor.

"Your mission is complete," Lai said in remarks at the ceremony. "Rest assured that we will carry on protecting the country and family you loved. Thank you. You are relieved of duty."

Lai praised Hsin as an exemplary fighter pilot who had devoted himself to defending Taiwan's airspace and maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait.

He also extended his condolences to Hsin's family and instructed the Ministry of National Defense to provide them, including Hsin's wife, who also serves in the military, with "the fullest support."

Hsin, 29, took off from Hualien Air Base at 6:17 p.m. on Jan. 6 in a single-seat F-16V, tail number 6700, for a nighttime training mission.

At around 7:27 p.m., he reported becoming separated from the lead aircraft while flying through clouds. The jet then rapidly lost altitude, and Hsin said he was preparing to eject before the aircraft disappeared from radar at around 7:28 p.m.

The lead aircraft marked Hsin's last known position over waters about 31 nautical miles (57.4 kilometers) south of Hualien Air Base. Despite an extensive search-and-rescue operation, the pilot was not found.

The presidential citation said Hsin encountered rapidly changing weather and severely restricted nighttime visibility before becoming imperiled and dying in the line of duty.

The aircraft's flight data recorder, commonly known as the black box, was recovered in March and sent to the manufacturer in the United States for analysis.

Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said Thursday that the analysis is still ongoing and results are expected soon.