South Korea Air Force Apologizes for 2021 Jet Collision

South Korea's air force issued a formal apology on Thursday for a midair collision between two F-15K fighter jets that occurred in December 2021 near the central city of Daegu, following a government audit that blamed the incident on pilots taking unauthorized photos and videos during the flight.

The collision happened during a routine formation mission as the jets returned to base. According to a report released Wednesday by the Board of Audit and Inspection, the wingman pilot, marking his final flight with the unit before reassignment, used his personal mobile phone to capture commemorative images. He declared his intention to take photos during a pre-flight briefing, a practice the board described as widespread among pilots at the time due to lax air force regulations on in-flight filming.

Noticing the activity, the lead pilot instructed a crew member to record video of the wingman jet. To improve the camera angle, the wingman abruptly climbed and banked his aircraft without clearance, inverting it up to 137 degrees while traveling at about 578 kilometers per hour. This maneuver brought the jets dangerously close. The lead pilot attempted a rapid descent to avoid a crash, but...