FINGER-POINTING:：The KMT said it was not to blame for blocking the budget to upgrade the nation’s aging fleet of fighters, despite claims to the contrary from the DPP
By Rich Chang and Chris Wang / Staff Reporters
Thu, Sep 15, 2011 - Page 1
A crash of two military aircraft on Tuesday night, in which three pilots lost their lives, sparked a fresh round of accusations between legislators over the government’s failure to modernize its air force in recent years.
An F-5F jet and a RF-5 reconnaissance aircraft crashed into the mountains near the Suhua Highway along the east coast at 7:52pm on Tuesday, after taking off at 7:39pm. The two planes deviated slightly from their flight paths before the crash, but the cause of the accident remained unclear, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday.
Chief inspector of the air force Caleb Po (柏關忠) told a press conference that the pilots were in constant and normal communication with Hualien Air Force Base and that the control tower warned them to change their altitude — 610m at the time — but the aircraft did not comply.
“There are various factors that could have caused the accident,” Po said.
He said the aircraft were on a nighttime training mission and that weather and visibility were good at the time.
Air force commander General Yen Ming (嚴明) boarded an S-70 helicopter with other air force officials at 5am to inspect the crash site on Dongao Mountain (東澳山) in Suao Township (蘇澳), Yilan County, at an altitude of 640m.
Body parts found near the site were taken to a hospital for examination.
The air force identified the pilot of the RF-5 as Captain Hsiao Wen-min (蕭文民) and the crew of the F-5F as Lieutenant Colonel Chang Chien-kuo (常建國) and Major Wang Hung-hsiang (王鴻祥).
It confirmed that the two aircraft crashed separately and did not collide during flight, as was initially suspected.
The air force has grounded all F-5 aircraft as an investigation is being conducted.
This was the sixth mishap involving F-5s in the past seven years. The air force now has 32 F-5Fs in its fleet.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Huang--liang (蔡煌瑯) said the crashes were “more than just another accident” and that President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration should be held accountable for its failure to upgrade military hardware.
The air force has lost 11 pilots and eight fighters to crashes since Ma took office in 2008, Tsai said.
He described the aging F5s, which are scheduled for retirement, as “flying iron coffins.”
Ma and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) have blocked the procurement budget of 66 F-16C/Ds from the US in the legislature 69 times since 2007, he said, adding that if not for their resistance, Taiwan would be able to have three squadrons of F-16C/Ds ready for operation in 2014.
The KMT’s stance on the procurement is why Taiwanese -military aircraft cannot be upgraded and replaced, Tsai said.
Tsai also questioned management at the air force, which expects 75 percent operational availability for all aircraft.
Despite this requirement, operational availability for F5-Fs is only 26 percent, while it is 66 percent for T-34C trainers, he said.
This situation was highlighted after the 2009 crash of an F5-F off Penghu, but “the Ma -administration and the ministry have not paid any attention to the matter,” Tsai said.
KMT Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) denied his party was to blame for the failure to acquire F-16C/D aircraft.
“The DPP should not capitalize on the tragedy for political gain. It should instead join efforts with the KMT and the ministry in urging the US to approve the [F-16C/D] sale,” Lin said.
He said the KMT had never- -boycotted the budget earmarked for purchasing F-16C/Ds during the DPP administration, as the legislature approved a budget of NT$16 billion (US$475 million) in 2007 and NT$20 billion in 2008 for the item.
“How can the DPP come up with this allegation when the KMT, which has held a majority in the legislature, actually approved the budget?” Lin asked.
Lin questioned whether the US had guaranteed the DPP -administration that it would approve the sale when the budget was passed, a claim made by the DPP.
“There could be two reasons: Either the DPP misunderstood the US’ message or some US officials turned back on their verbal promise. Whatever the reason, it had nothing to do with the KMT,” Lin said.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan and CNA