A Navy patrol aircraft carrying four personnel crashed on a mountain in the southeastern city of Pohang on Thursday afternoon, officials confirmed.
The P-3 maritime patrol plane, operated by the South Korean Navy, took off from Pohang Air Base at 1:43 p.m. for a routine training mission. The crash occurred shortly after at approximately 1:50 p.m. Witnesses reported seeing smoke rising from the mountainous crash site.
The Navy confirmed that four people were on board the aircraft. Rescue teams recovered three bodies from the wreckage, and search operations are ongoing. The cause of the crash remains unknown as authorities have launched a full investigation to determine the circumstances and assess casualties. No civilian injuries or damage have been reported.
The P-3C aircraft, colloquially known as the “submarine killer” for its anti-submarine warfare capabilities, is a key asset in the Navy’s fleet, which includes 16 such planes. This incident marks the first recorded crash involving the P-3C model operated by the South Korean armed forces.
Firefighting units have been dispatched to extinguish a fire at the crash site. Acting President Lee Ju-ho was briefed on the situation by acting Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho and urged for an all-out effort to rescue the crew and minimize environmental damage.
Separate Incident: Jeju Air Aircraft Deviates from Runway in Vietnam, No Injuries
In a separate event, a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 aircraft carrying 183 passengers and six crew members veered off the runway briefly after landing at Da Nang International Airport in Vietnam early Wednesday. The airline reported no injuries among passengers or crew.
Flight 7C2217 had departed from Incheon International Airport and landed at Da Nang at approximately 12:50 a.m. local time. During taxiing, the plane temporarily left the runway surface and entered the adjacent safety zone before returning safely. One landing gear tire was damaged in the incident.
Jeju Air promptly replaced the damaged tire after passengers disembarked and deployed a replacement aircraft to operate the return flight 7C2218, which was delayed by over 14 hours and departed at 4:08 p.m. the same day.
South Korea’s transport ministry has launched an investigation into the runway excursion to determine the cause.
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