Taipei, Oct. 21 (CNA) The pilot of a 30-year-old AT-3 trainer aircraft belonging to the Air Force Academy died Tuesday after his aircraft collided with another AT-3 during a routine training mission in Kaohsiung and crashed, military officials confirmed.
The pilot, Lt. Col. Chuang Bei-yuan, tried to parachute to safety not long before the plane came down in a field in Zihguan District in Kaohsiung, but he ejected from the plane at too low an altitude and his parachute never fully opened, the Air Force said Tuesday.
Chuang sustained serious injuries after falling to the ground and was rushed to the Gangshan Branch of Armed Forces Kaohsiung General Hospital, the Ministry of National Defense said. Doctors at the hospital tried to revive the 37-year-old but to no avail, it added.
Chuang's plane crashed after colliding with another AT-3 trainer flown by Lt. Col. Yang Chih-ping, which was not badly damaged and landed safely at the Air Force Academy in Kaohsiung, the Air Force said.
Both Chuang and Yang are senior pilots, who have clocked more than 2,000 flight hours, said Maj. Gen. Chang Yan-ting, superintendent of the Air Force Academy, at a news conference on the accident.
The two had been partners for about two years and participated in the formation of seven AT-3 jet trainers flown by the Thunder Tiger Aerobatics Team that streaked over the Presidential Office as part of National Day celebrations on Oct. 10, Chang said.
The Air Force Headquarters said it has set up a task force to look into what happened.
Though the AT-3 trainer is a two-seat aircraft, each plane was being flown by only one pilot at the time of the accident, which occurred soon after they took off from the academy.
The planes were trainers used by the Air Force's Thunder Tigers Acrobatic Team and were on a routine training session when the collision occurred, Chang said.
Chuang missed the opportunity to eject from his aircraft at a higher altitude because he was trying to maneuver his aircraft clear of residential communities and crowds, an Air Force official said.
Chuang would have been able to save his life if he had bailed from the aircraft earlier, the official said, but he did not want to endanger the lives of others.
"This showed the pilot's great virtue," the official said.
(By Claudia Liu and Elaine Hou)
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