How to evaluate the crash of an F16 into a mountain on the first day of Taiwan military exercises

After more than a month of investigation, the cause of the Taiwan military’s F16 fighter plane crashing into a mountain during this year’s “Han Kuang Military Exercise” has been basically determined. Taiwan's "United News Network" reported on July 23 that the aircraft was asked by air traffic control to stand by when it flew through the predetermined turn and breakaway position, causing the fighter plane to fly over in a group of low clouds and crash into the mountains.

The F-16 No. 6685 that crashed this time

Reports indicate that through investigation, the Taiwan military has basically restored what happened: On June 4 this year, two Taiwan military aircraft F-16 fighter jets participated in the "Han Kuang Military Exercise" to act as "incoming PLA fighter jets". One of them was the No. 6685 aircraft operated by Taiwan Army Major Wu Yanting. The fighter plane "invaded" from the north, flew south-south-west at an altitude of 2,000 feet (about 610 meters), and simulated an attack on Keelung Port. The original plan was to turn left and climb away immediately after "dropping the bomb."

The planned flight route announced by the Taiwan Army

However, the aircraft flew into a low cloud as it approached the target area. At this time, Wu Yanting asked the ground command for permission to leave, but the command asked him to "stand by". Wu Yanting kept flying straight at altitude and heading, missed the breakaway point and hit Wufen Mountain in New Taipei.

The debris scattered after the mountain collision

Why was Wu Yanting asked to be "on standby" at a critical moment of life and death? "Lianhe News Network" reported that the reason is that if the fighter plane climbs high, it will overlap with the departure route of Songshan Airport, making it prone to mid-air approach accidents. At that time, a Shanghai Airlines flight was taking off at Songshan Airport, so the ground commander decided to notify air traffic control first, which resulted in a fatal delay.

When the Taiwan military formulated the "simulated attack plan", they discovered that behind the Keelung Port was a mountain with a height of more than 610 meters. Once the bomb was dropped, it would definitely have to be evaded. Even if the ground did not issue orders, the pilots would have to avoid it. Fly away on its own. However, due to entering the low cloud, Wu Yanting proposed to leave, but was asked to "stand by" again. I originally wanted to leave early, but my opportunity was delayed instead. Coupled with the poor visibility, the failure to detect the approaching danger finally led to a collision with the mountain.

However, the problem is: judging from the actual route, the Shanghai Airlines flight did not enter the exercise area, not to mention that the "Hanguang Military Exercise" has a pre-defined control area, and military aircraft must have priority in the control area. Civil aircraft flying in require advance notice. The "cautiousness" of the Taiwan military's ground command seems redundant.

So why is this "cautious"? According to the report, in recent years, ground commanders have often been severely punished and criticized whenever civilian aircraft came close to Taiwanese fighter jets. Over time, they have developed a conservative mentality. Even if civilian aircraft have priority, even if they have the right to use them, Before entering the exercise area, the ground command did not dare to make arbitrary decisions immediately.

However, the Taiwan Air Force did not immediately confirm the media reports. Instead, it stated that the investigation was ongoing and the black box had been sent back to the original factory in the United States for analysis. In order to avoid affecting the investigation, no relevant information was disclosed. Comment.

The black box of the F-16 fighter jet that crashed into a mountain

A military commentator on Observer.com said that after the report came out, some Taiwanese netizens questioned: "Every move of the aircraft must obey the command from the ground. , What else do we need pilots to do?” However, considering the reality of the Taiwan Air Force, it is not surprising that Taiwanese pilots follow ground commands in every move.

The main form of combat envisaged by the Taiwan Air Force is air defense interception. In air defense interception, fighter pilots rely heavily on guidance from the ground, and rely on the ground to provide air conditions and even specific instructions on attack strategies. Otherwise, it is extremely difficult to search and track targets by relying on the sensors of the fighter aircraft itself, especially when visibility is poor in dark nights or complex weather conditions.

However, although ground guidance can more comprehensively grasp the air situation, it cannot fully grasp the specific environment faced by specific aircraft, and there is a delay in command. If pilots rely entirely on ground command, they can easily fall into danger. On November 19, 1960, during the battle to intercept the P-2V reconnaissance aircraft of the Kuomintang army entering at low altitude, our army also crashed into a mountain and lost two Tu-2 bombers. The reason was largely due to low visibility at night and backward airborne equipment. The Tu-2 could only rely on ground command to fly. As a result, although it could continuously track the low-altitude P-2V, it ignored the terrain and crashed into a mountain.

However, the specific circumstances of this Taiwan military F-16 crash into a mountain are much better than when our military intercepted the P-2V: at that time, our military fighter jets chased the P-2V everywhere Running, I didn’t expect what kind of terrain conditions I would encounter. However, the terrain conditions faced by Taiwan's F-16s are known, and the dangers of mountainous areas were already realized in the original plan. In this case, Wu Yanting and the ground commander should be fully aware of the danger of crashing into the mountain. Even so, one still chose to wait, while the other was a little extra "cautious", and the result was a tragedy.