US F-16 Jet Crashes in South Korea, Pilot Rescued After Ejecting

FILE - U.S. Air Force's F-16 fighter takes off during an exercise at Kunsan Air Base in Gunsan, South Korea on April 20, 2017. A U.S. Air Force pilot safely ejected on Dec. 11, 2023, before his F-16 crashed into the sea off South Korea’s southwestern coast.

A U.S. F-16 fighter jet crashed in South Korea on Monday while on a routine training flight and the pilot was rescued after ejecting when the
aircraft experienced an "in-flight emergency," the U.S. Air Force unit stationed in the country said.

The pilot was rescued in the Yellow Sea by the South Korean coast guard and returned to the Kunsan Air Base, the 8th Fighter Wing said in a statement.

The cause of the emergency was being investigated, it said.

The unit commander, Colonel Matthew Gaetke, said he was grateful for the pilot's recovery and that he was in good condition, the statement said.

The air base located in the South Korean west coast city of Gunsan is one of the two main air bases used by the U.S. military in the country.