The accident involving the KA-1 airborne control attack aircraft's machine gun and fuel tank, which occurred on the 18th, was caused by the pilot mistakenly pressing a button while trying to adjust the heater airflow, the Air Force stated on the 21st.
According to the Air Force, an investigation into the pilot's statements revealed that the cause of the accident was the negligence of the rear seat pilot. The KA-1 model has two pilots onboard. During the night simulation training, the pilots were wearing night vision goggles over their visors, and the heater's airflow entered between the visor, causing discomfort to the rear seat pilot, who then accidentally pressed the emergency drop button located directly above the air vent while trying to adjust the airflow.
The emergency drop button is used to release all external attachments such as fuel tanks and arms to ensure a safe landing in an emergency situation for the aircraft. The KA-1 emergency drop button is surrounded by a cylindrical frame with a height of 3.5 cm and is exposed externally without a separate cover. Both the emergency drop button and the air vent are circular and operate by being pressed.
An Air Force official noted, "The air vent has a diameter of about 3.3 cm, while the emergency drop button is about 3.5 cm, making their shapes and sizes similar," adding, "It is believed that the pilot misidentified the emergency drop button as the air vent while focusing on the mission."
As a result of this accident, two gun pods weighing 120 kg each, containing one machine gun and 250 rounds of 12.7 mm live ammunition, as well as two external fuel tanks weighing 35 kg each, fell from the airspace over Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province. The Air Force has collected both gun pods and most of the ammunition and is currently searching for the remaining five rounds of ammunition and the fuel tanks. The front seat pilot, a major, has flown for over 1,290 hours, while the rear seat pilot, a captain, has over 870 hours of flight experience.
The machine gun drop incident happened about a month after the KF-16 accidental bombing incident that occurred in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 6th of last month. An Air Force official said, "We will devise and implement practical measures to prevent operational errors."
On the same day, the Air Force held a meeting of flight unit commanders under the direction of Air Force Chief of Staff Lee Young-soo to emphasize safety measures and decided to launch a project called "100-day promise for flight safety and restoration of trust" starting from the 22nd.