Fighter jet crashes during Children's Day airshow in Thailand

Saturday, January 14, 2017

A fighter jet crashed, killing the pilot, at Hat Yai International Airport, Songkhla, Thailand this morning during an annual Children's Day airshow.

The JAS 39C Gripen crashed onto a runway at around 9:30 am local time (0230 UTC) and exploded, closing the airport to commercial flights. The pilot was identified as Squadron Leader Dilokrit Pattavee. Local media reports an airport fire vehicle rolled over while responding.

Children screamed in video footage of the crash. The Royal Thai Air Force asked that images of the accident not be shared, but this has not deterred the press. Air Force spokesperson Pongsak Semachai said an investigatory commission would be formed. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha offered his sympathies to Pattavee's relatives.

Thailand began purchasing the Swedish-built Gripen jets in 2008 and has twelve. None of its neighbours have similar aircraft, which cost the nation around 2.5 billion baht (US$70 million) each.

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Sources

"Gripen jet crashes during air show, pilot killed" — The Bangkok Post, January 14, 2017
Goya Dmytryshchak. "Pilot dies after fighter jet crashes at children's air show in Thailand" — The Sydney Morning Herald, January 14, 2017

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This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.