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News & Current Events Apr 23, 2026 at 8:15 AM

South Korea fighter jets collided due to pilots taking pictures, report finds

Posted by sr_local


South Korea fighter jets collided due to pilots taking pictures, report finds
www.bbc.com
South Korea fighter jets collided due to pilots taking pictures, report finds
One of the pilots has been fined thousands of dollars by the military to cover repair costs.

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thereoncewasahat 2 days ago +805
'Top gun reenactment was a f*** up, sir.'
805
obeytheturtles 2 days ago +68
"Keeping up foreign relations - you know, giving the bird"
68
Koala_eiO 2 days ago +492
The generation that cannot let go of its smartphone is already flying jets? > South Korea's air force suspended the wingman pilot, who has since left the military to work for a commercial airline. Oh oh.
492
Ginger_Anarchy 2 days ago +120
I'm honestly surprised to learn any military allows personal cell phones in the cockpit . Seems like a obvious distraction and security risk.
120
Koala_eiO 2 days ago +44
Yes, they should stay in the locker and be only available during free time. Plus there is the risk of hacking, listening to conversations, etc.
44
InflatableLabboons 1 day ago +12
During free time? Like when they're getting their daily jog?
12
PicanteBoloni 1 day ago +8
What do you mean "Strava threatens OPSEC" ? /s
8
Jerri_man 1 day ago +9
Sure but a lot of military flying, including for fighter jets, is moving from one distant place to another and monitoring autopilot for 10 hours. Not saying it's the case in OP but they have plenty of boring downtime
9
Badgrotz 1 day ago +18
Like most rules in the military it would only be enforced after something went wrong.
18
Potates42 2 days ago +83
Note to self: don't fly Korean Air
83
a1usiv 2 days ago +41
Meh. Their in-flight bibimbap might be worth dying for. I just hope we don't crash before meal service.
41
foxracing1313 2 days ago +11
Hold up
11
Character_Minimum171 1 day ago +2
so damn good the reason I flew KA for a few years also the overnight hotel in Incheon was an awesome free perk
2
anunnaki_marauder 2 days ago +11
It's actually a great airline, now.
11
fjelskaug 1 day ago +1
They switched to only speaking English in the cockpit to remove the natural hierarchy when speaking in Korean, after the crash of a Boeing 747 Flight 801 where the first officer and flight engineer didn't dare to challenge the captain's mistake
1
Dullcorgis 1 day ago +3
I don't trust that the language will stop them deferring to authority.
3
fjelskaug 1 day ago +1
That's cool if you think so. Korean Air thinks otherwise and believes on its success of overhauling the company into speaking English https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/korean-labor-law-understanding-cultural-differences-work-bongsoo-jung
1
xjpmhxjo 2 days ago -7
Then it must be Asiana
-7
RecentSpecial181 2 days ago +6
Korean Air just bought Asiana and they're merging
6
shayKyarbouti 2 days ago +1
[ Removed by Listnook ]
1
ApacheOc3lot 1 day ago +8
I get what you're saying, but this happened in 2021. From my experience with the South Korean military, they very much care about optics. Not saying what the pilots did was justified, they should have had a separate plane taking the pictures.
8
dontknowshiitake 2 days ago +316
“South Korea's air force suspended the wingman pilot, who has since left the military to work for a commercial airline”. Better not be my f****** pilot
316
gbghgs 2 days ago +186
It's fine, pretty much any big commercial jet is a two seater. That way one pilot can take photos while the other poses.
186
Appealing_Apathy 2 days ago +20
They also can take off and land almost entirely on autopilot. My grandpa told me it was possible when he was a flight inspector in the 90's so I can only imagine what they can do now.
20
MSeager 2 days ago +16
I don’t think it’s on commercial planes yet, buy Garmin has a full emergency landing system you can install on planes now. Like the pilot or passenger presses a button and the plane will declare an emergency to ATC, navigate to an appropriate airport, communicate with the airport ATC, and land. I believe it’s already been used for a real emergency where the pilot had a medical emergency.
16
chodeboi 2 days ago +6
Yes, and in the documented case both pilots remained in full capacity (despite the medical callout) and were able to closely monitor controls on descent.
6
JGPH 2 days ago +1
Interesting, got a link with info? I'd love to read about this event.
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chodeboi 2 days ago +2
https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/plane-emergency-landing-colorado-autoland/ with this you can track down the actual case
2
Easy_Branch_6178 1 day ago
Garmin the watch company?
0
MSeager 1 day ago +3
Traditionally Garmin is a GPS Navigation and Communication Technology company. They do a lot in the marine and aircraft device space. Then they shrunk the tech into smart watches.
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100BottlesOfMilk 9 hr ago +1
Garmin is mostly a GPS company. I used a handheld GPS of theirs hunting sometimes before I had a smartphone. They have a side buisness of watches
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Easy_Branch_6178 9 hr ago +1
Never knew that. Thanks
1
butthole_lipliner 1 day ago +1
Sometimes I am truly astonished by what the general public is willing to believe about aviation. I can’t imagine how much it would suck to have a plane full of pax who blindly believe the “plane can just land itself!” I don’t know how the airline guys do it, really.
1
Appealing_Apathy 1 day ago
Yes you still need a pilot, but I am fairly confident my grandfather who trained fighter pilots prior to his civil career was not lying to me.
0
butthole_lipliner 1 day ago +3
Yes, he more than likely was not *intending* to lie to you; he just had a gross misunderstanding of how the tech behind CATIII Autoland works, the level of training/skill/communication/precision needed to execute it, and likely its use case. Which is arguably quite limited in the grand scheme of things. The other comments mentioning the garmin kill switch/auto ATC/ auto squawk 7600 / autoland are correct and extremely exciting developments for the future of safety in aviation. But they are very recent and again, not currently being deployed at any scale outside GA scope testing. We are very very far away from seeing that level of sophistication adapted to any commercial jet for quite some time. But I’m all ears for hearing about how your “fighter pilot trainer” grandpa knows more about autopilot capabilities than an actual commercial pilot.
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HYDROMORPHONE_ZONE 2 days ago +1
I think they can circle the airport until it’s time to land automatically too. I forget the term for it
1
not_the_cicada 2 days ago +6
Being stacked?
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HumanGrapefruit1027 2 days ago +5
Stupid s*** planes
5
son_et_lumiere 2 days ago +2
lapidaisical
2
wolfcaroling 2 days ago -4
It depends on the airport. Most airports now offer ISL approaches but not all.
-4
Important_Cucumber 2 days ago +4
the f*** is an ISL approach
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terminalzero 2 days ago +5
instruments as a second language
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Wigglepus 2 days ago +4
No no. I'm pretty sure ISL is instrument sign language.
4
Appealing_Apathy 2 days ago +5
I believe they meant ILS approach: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instrument_landing_system
5
anunnaki_marauder 2 days ago +17
Korean Air was known as "an industry pariah, notorious for fatal crashes" in the airline industry prior to 1999, resulting in hundreds of fatalities. South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung would call the airline's safety record "an embarrassment to the nation" & would fly rival airliner Asiana. They now have a very good safety record but that was only after a serious overhaul of how things were conducted in the cockpit.
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justaloadofshite 2 days ago +1
It’s ok he got a dash cam so he’s hands free
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TechnicalSurround 2 days ago +1
Relax, maybe they are just flying cargo (hazardous cargo).
1
uthred1981 2 days ago +45
i never used my phone when i flew a jet at mach 2
45
mrzaius 2 days ago +15
No signal?
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uthred1981 2 days ago +17
exact, how can i watch my favorite tv show
17
MulYut 2 days ago +6
P****
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uthred1981 2 days ago +5
I prefer to use my laptop at that altitude 
5
MulYut 2 days ago +3
Chad
3
starlordbg 2 days ago +3
I like scrolling on social media with the afterburners kicked in.
3
LoveHurtsDaMost 2 days ago +2
I did and I have nice pics now. Suckers.
2
NotTheHeroWeNeed 2 days ago +37
“Too close for missiles, I'm switching to my phone!”
37
Old-Tea1980 2 days ago +130
Does South Korea have a Florida???
130
5GCovidInjection 2 days ago +64
Yeah, it’s Gyeongsangnam-do.
64
gratitudenplatitudes 2 days ago +32
Don’t tell me what to do
32
MulYut 2 days ago -3
Bless you
-3
zhaoz 2 days ago +22
Every society haa a Florida!!
22
GatorReign 2 days ago +31
Even Florida, which has Miami.
31
amakai 2 days ago +9
Does Miami have Florida?
9
s0ulbrother 2 days ago +9
Floridas all the way down
9
the_second_cumming 2 days ago +2
Hialeah
2
thrownawaymane 1 day ago +1
Some days I think fondly of the girl I knew from Hialeah. Good times
1
unfortunatebag 2 days ago +1
Cuba
1
pimparo0 2 days ago +2
I would have gone with Polk County. Depends on what Florida we are Floriding
2
Academic_Carrot_4533 2 days ago +1
I thought that would’ve been Jacksonville.
1
bill4935 2 days ago +6
Canada's Florida is just one bar on Church St. in Toronto. On the other hand, our Texas is almost as big as Texas.
6
Brief_Hospital_1766 2 days ago +1
>*"Canada's Florida is just one bar on Church St. in Toronto."* What about Newfoundland?
1
CausticLicorice 2 days ago +3
That’s Hawaii: -Last Province/State to join? Check -Island? Check -Unique Culture? Check -Non-English Language? Check
3
Brief_Hospital_1766 2 days ago +6
Same climate, too.
6
starlordbg 2 days ago +1
My whole country is a Florida!
1
Grock23 2 days ago +1
Bulgaria?
1
Kings_Gold_Standard 2 days ago +1
Camp Hialeah in Busan. it was closed in 2006
1
Old-Tea1980 2 days ago +1
Ah Seoul…. Gotcha
1
stedun 2 days ago +1
Yes, North Korea.
1
Illustrious-Gur-6775 2 days ago
Does Georgia have a Florida?
0
Old-Tea1980 2 days ago +3
Country or state?
3
Illustrious-Gur-6775 2 days ago +1
Country
1
GabeIsGone 2 days ago +57
FIVE GODDAMN YEARS TO INVESTIGATE. Wow, that’s crazy. Guess they wanted to make sure everyone who could be accountable was already gone.
57
tmax202020 2 days ago +12
Was one upside down like the F14-Mig28 in Top Gun?
12
TyrialFrost 2 days ago +15
>The wingman pilot then abruptly flew his jet up higher and flipped it so that it could be better captured on camera. Yep.
15
FischiPiSti 1 day ago +1
Ok but were they at least blasting Danger Zone?
1
Qwahlity_Koalatea 2 days ago +12
Taking photos of significant flights was "a widespread practice among pilots at the time", the audit board said in a report published on Wednesday. The pilot had declared his intent to do so in a briefing before the flight, according to the report.
12
FreeWillyBird 2 days ago +35
But did they get the selfies?
35
Wonderful-Impact-598 2 days ago +10
Did they need to check Google Maps?
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Constant_Section1491 2 days ago +5
worth it.
5
Voderama 2 days ago +5
Can’t even be in fighter jet traffic without people on their phones smh
5
dmh165638 2 days ago +3
Was one inverted and using s Polaroid?
3
travelerguy0 2 days ago +3
Were they inverted?
3
ApacheOc3lot 1 day ago +3
For anyone who didn't/can't read the article, this happened in 2021, both pilots survived. Only damage was the two aircraft.
3
phiiota 2 days ago +2
Doh 😵
2
RatherBeSkiing 2 days ago +2
"contact bridgey" "Contact wingman"
2
chantsnone 2 days ago +2
I’m surprised they’re allowed to bring their phones
2
Minimum_Leadership51 2 days ago +3
Deserved. If they tell and punish us using the phone in the car or even the freaking bicycle, why should pilots remotely get the idea to do that? Typical F around f out moment and a waste of Korea's taxpayer's money. 
3
Resident_Trouble_579 2 days ago +1
I got a great Polaroid of it
1
OkFix4074 2 days ago +1
Do they not know how to mount an insta 360 or GoPro?
1
shewy92 2 days ago +1
I gotta land this plane. But first, let me take a selfie
1
HoneyBadger552 2 days ago +1
remember kids. instagram posts can wait
1
Few_Occasion458 2 days ago +1
Uh...eh...umm...oh boy. Must we really talk about flying and playing on your phone?
1
majorzero42 2 days ago +1
Did they get the pictures tho?
1
jjb0ne 1 day ago +1
what a bunch of 씨🦶 shekkis
1
kimsemi 1 day ago +1
My god teach these people how to use camera zoom.
1
OnyxBaird 1 day ago +1
That’s one expensive picture
1
Character_Minimum171 1 day ago +1
K-popped off
1
vagabond251 1 day ago +1
Aaaaashiibaa.
1
xxfblz 2 days ago
For years, we held summer camps at my uni. Everytime we had a pretend olympics, there were military planes making low passes for ten minutes to ogle at the 120 pretty 20-year old girls prancing around on the sports field. They stopped doing that the day two of them VERY NEARLY collided while not looking in front of them. They were A-10s, so I think they were from the nearby US base in Osan...
0
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