Thai Air Force Pilot Severely Injured After Ejecting Mid-Flight

By Mohd Haikal Mohd Isa BANGKOK, Feb 16 (Bernama) -- A Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) pilot was severely injured when he ejected mid-flight from his two-seater "Alpha Jet" in an 11.15am (local time) incident Wednesday. The other pilot in the aircraft managed to steer the training jet to safety following the incident and landed it at Wing 23 air base in Udon Thani province, northeast Thailand. "The aircraft was at a low altitude and the (ejection) seat had not opened (separated) when he hit the ground," RTAF spokesman Air Vice Marshall Pongsak Semachai said in a statement here. RTAF had commenced an investigation into the incident, he said. The air force bought 25 of the aircraft in 1999 for 1.2 billion Baht (US$34.2 million) following an offer from the German Defence Ministry, despite reservations expressed by many quarters. Last month, an RTAF fourth-generation "Saab JAS 39 Gripen" fighter jet crashed during an exhibition flight in conjunction with a "Children's Day" celebration in Hatyai, killing the pilot. -- BERNAMA