South Korean fighter jets involved in mid-air collision after pilot makes in-flight recording
The pilot admitted his sudden manoeuvre contributed to the incident but claimed the lead aircraft pilot had "tacitly consented" as he knew the filming was taking place.
Two fighter jets in South Korea collided in mid-air after the pilot attempted to take photos and videos from inside the cockpit.
Listen to this article
The incident took place in mid-2021 while the jets were on a mission near the central city of Daegu, according to a report by Seoul's Board of Audit and Inspection.
Both pilots survived the incident with no injuries but the planes were damaged with the military left to pick up a 880 million won (£440,500) repair bill.
One pilot, who has now left the military, had to pay a fine of 88 million won (£52,000).
Read more: Russia laying groundwork for intervention in Nato territory as false flag risks rise, experts warn
The audit found that the incident occurred because that pilot wanted to take photos to mark his last flight with his military unit.
The report noted that taking photos on important flights was "a widespread practice among pilots at the time".
The pilot had reportedly told others of his plan during a pre-flight briefing.
He was flying the wingman aircraft and was following the lead aircraft from behind during the mission.
While flying back to base he started taking photos on his mobile.
Noticing this, the pilot of the lead plane asked a crew member to start recording a video of the wingman jet, the report said.
The wingman pilot then made an abrupt manoeuvre by climbing higher and rolling the aircraft to improve the camera angle.
This brought the F-15K jets dangerously close.
The lead aircraft moved to descend quickly to avoid a collision but the two jets eventually collided with one another.
The crash damaged the lead aircraft's left wing and the wingman aircraft's tail stabiliser.
The South Korean Air Force suspended the wingman pilot, who subsequently left the military to join a commercial airline.
The Air Force initially tried to get the pilot to cover the full repair cost of 880 million won.
After he appealed the Board of Audit and Inspection said he should only pay one-tenth of the amount.
The pilot admitted his sudden manoeuvre contributed to the incident but claimed the lead aircraft pilot had "tacitly consented" as he knew the filming was taking place.
The audit board said the Air Force was also partially responsible for not regulating the use of personal cameras by pilots during flights.
The board noted that the pilot had a good service record prior to the accident and avoided further damage to the plane by returning safely to base.
It did not state whether any disciplinary action had been taken against the other pilots involved.