Taiwan Air Force officer killed after being ‘inhaled’ by fighter jet’s engine

A Taiwanese Air Force officer died after being sucked into the engine of a fighter jet, officials said. 

The incident reportedly happened at Ching Chuan Kang Air Base on Tuesday while the master sergeant was performing a pre-shutdown inspection of the aircraft. 

Taiwan’s Air Force said the officer was “inhaled by the engine for unknown reasons.” She later was pronounced dead after life-saving efforts were unsuccessful. 

“In response to media reports that ‘it is suspected that an instructor’s throttle application caused a female officer to be inhaled by a fighter jet,’ the Air Force Command stated that the case is currently being investigated by a task force in cooperation with prosecutors to clarify the cause,” it added. 

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Officials say they are “deeply saddened” by the death. 

Taiwan’s Air Force also said that it will “fully assist the family in handling the aftermath” and that it will “conduct a comprehensive review and improve the work process to prevent similar cases from happening again.” 

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The plane involved in the incident was an Indigenous Defense Fighter, the Taipei Times reported, adding that the victim served in the military for around 17 years. 

A source familiar with the aircraft told the Taipei Times that the chance of a ground crew member being sucked into its engine – which has a fairly small intake opening — is “miniscule.”  

The source said after the plane lands, its motor speed is on a slow rotation and should have been stopped by the time the wheel chocks were being deployed at the base. 

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Security cameras installed in the hangar of the base should provide the full picture as to what happened, the source added.