South Korean authorities have confirmed that a 2021 mid-air collision between two military fighter jets was caused by pilots taking photographs during a live mission.
The incident occurred in Daegu, a central South Korean city, and was detailed in findings published by Seoul’s Board of Audit and Inspection.
Both pilots escaped without injury, but the aircraft sustained significant damage, with repair bills reaching 880m won ($594,235)
One pilot who had left the military by the time the report was published was ordered to pay a fine of 88m won ($59,423).
According to the board, the pilot had wanted to document his final flight with his unit and declared his intention to take photographs before takeoff.
The audit found this was not an isolated habit.
Photographing significant or farewell flights was described as a widespread practice among South Korean pilots at the time, suggesting a cultural norm that authorities had either overlooked or tolerated.
The revelation sits against a broader backdrop of safety concerns in South Korea’s military aviation.
In March 2026, another mid-air collision between two F 16C jets occurred during a nighttime training exercise near Yeongju, with one aircraft coming down in a mountainous area after a pilot wearing night vision goggles misjudged the distance between the planes. The pilot ejected safely.
Separately, in March 2025, two KF-16 jets mistakenly dropped bombs on a civilian village in Pocheon during a joint exercise with the United States, injuring 31 people and damaging more than 140 homes, an incident attributed to a pilot entering incorrect target coordinates.
South Korea has also seen multiple incidents involving U.S. Air Force F 16s stationed at Kunsan Air Base, with jets going down in the Yellow Sea in both December 2023 and January 2024, though pilots were rescued safely on each occasion.