South Korean jet catches fire after skidding off runway at Singapore Airshow
The pilot escaped with minor injuries and the runway has been closed
By Sujin Thomas
A single-seater jet from South Korea’s Black Eagles aerobatic team skidded off a runway at Changi Airport and crashed into a grass verge on Tuesday afternoon, just prior to its flying display programme at the Singapore Airshow 2018.
The T-50B Golden Eagle jet trainer subsequently caught fire in the incident which took place at the airport’s Runway 1 at about 1.30pm. It is believed that the jet’s tyre burst as it was taking off.
In a statement, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said that Airport Emergency Services responded to the incident – which was captured on video by someone within an airport terminal – and the fire was extinguished.
“The pilot sustained light injuries and is being treated,” said the statement.
Facebook user Gerald Searle posted a video showing emergency services arriving at the scene.
In a Facebook post, Changi Airport said that the pilot was sent to the airport clinic for a check up and that Runway 1 was closed until further notice.
A separate post made minutes later advised passengers to check the latest flight information as a number of flights were expected to be delayed over the next few hours.
This is the Black Eagles’ third appearance at the Singapore Airshow.
The team was slated to end off Tuesday’s flying display programme which also included an an F-15SG and F-16C Integrated Team from the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Jupiter Aerobatic Team from the Indonesian Air Force.
