South Korean AAFES employee injured by falling debris from F-16 crash on Osan base

OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea — A U.S. F-16 fighter plane crashed just after takeoff Thursday evening, injuring one person, according to base officials.

The pilot safely ejected around 8 p.m., according to a news release. Base officials would not release the pilot’s name.

Yi Chun-mu, a 58-year-old Army and Air Force Exchange Service employee, was injured when debris from the plane bruised her right arm as she was driving home around 8 p.m. She was treated and released from the base hospital, according to the release.

Maj. Edwina Walton, base spokeswoman, said no buildings were damaged when the plane — on a routine training mission — crashed on the base.

Doolittle Gate has been closed while the crash is being investigated, Walton said.

An Air Force accident and investigation board, led by 51st Operations Group Commander Col. P.K. White, will investigate the incident, Walton said.

“They’ve been trying to gather the parts of aircraft — the ejection seat, the fuel tanks,” Walton said.

Osan Air Base is home to the 51st Fighter Wing, part of 7th Air Force.

On Jan. 26, a U-2S reconnaissance plane flying from Osan crashed in Hwaseong, about six miles west of the base. The pilot also safely ejected in that incident, but four South Koreans on the ground suffered injuries.