• A US F-16 fighter jet crashed into the Yellow Sea off South Korea.
• The pilot ejected safely and was recovered by South Korean forces.
• The cause of the crash is unknown.

Off the coast of South Korea, a US military fighter plane has crashed into the Yellow Sea.

According to a statement from the US Air Force, the F-16 Fighting Falcon belonging to the 8th Fighter Wing had an “in-flight emergency” on Monday that caused it to crash into the Yellow Sea as it was conducting a routine training exercise.

It was reported that the pilot had ejected and been saved.

“The pilot ejected the aircraft. The pilot has been recovered by Republic of Korea Maritime Forces, awake and in stable condition,” the statement said, adding he would be evaluated further back at the Kunsan Air Base.

“We are grateful for the safe recovery of our airman by our ROK Allies and that the pilot is in good condition,” said Colonel Matthew C Gaetke, the 8th Fighter Wing’s commander.

As of right now, the malfunction’s source is unknown. The statement from the air force stated, “The incident will be thoroughly investigated.”

The airbase is situated in Gunsan, a city on South Korea’s west coast. The US military uses it as one of the two primary airbases in the nation, housing 28,500 US service personnel.

The collision was the second F-16-related incident that has occurred in and around South Korea this year. One aircraft went down in May in a rural area south of Seoul during a regular training exercise. There were no additional casualties from the collision, and the pilot was safely ejected.

Following a fatal crash that claimed the lives of eight US airmen, the US military declared last week that it was grounding its fleet of V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft in neighboring Japan.

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