TAIPEI (Taiwan News) –Brave Eagle Advanced Jet Trainers appeared in the skies over Taitung on Wednesday for the first time since one of the planes crashed into the sea on Feb. 15.
The Air Force hired a specialized salvage firm to recover the plane, which has still not been found. Both engines failed at the same time, with bird strikes being considered as one of the possible causes for the disaster.
The pilot, Air Force Major-in-training Lin Wei (林瑋), ejected to safety by parachute and spent two days at a hospital. The Taiwan-made aircraft were grounded until Wednesday.
The Air Force said more than 10 Brave Eagles and two F-16 fighter jets would take off and land at Taitung’s Zhihang Air Base on Wednesday, per CNA. During the past weeks, the Air Force and the airplane’s manufacturer, Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation, have conducted an extensive joint investigation and added technical training and flight simulations for officers.
At the same time, Polaris 3, a specialized ship from Dragon Geosciences, is continuing its search for the missing plane and the flight recorders off the coast of Taitung. The Air Force ordered 66 Brave Eagles, with the 42nd being delivered after the accident.
