KAOHSIUNG -- The bodies of two Air Force pilots, who died after their AT-3 training aircraft crashed in the mountains earlier this week, were sent back to base at the Republic of China Air Force Academy on Sunday, and were greeted by grieving family members.
The bodies of 32-year-old Maj. Wang Ching-chun (王勁鈞) and 23-year-old 1st. Lt. Huang Chun-jung (黃俊榮) were flown back from the crash site in eastern Taiwan's Hualien to the academy in Kaohsiung in the south.
The tearful fathers of the pilots waited at the tarmac of the academy and murmured to their fallen loved ones after they were transferred from the aircraft to stretchers, while Air Force members gave a military salute nearby.
The bodies were then sent to a funeral parlor by an ambulance for further inspection.
Family members who waited next to the ambulance cried and someone was heard saying "I don't want this. I don't want this."
Wang's wife is a teacher and they have two children, a son and a daughter. Their son just turned nine months old.
Wang, who had clocked 1,489 flight hours, was a flight instructor at the academy, while Huang had 116 hours of experience flying.
Wang was in the front seat of the plane, and Huang was in the back seat during the routine training flight when the plane crashed.
The bodies of the pilots and debris of the aircraft were found in the woods in the mountainous areas of Hualien County early Saturday afternoon, after days of search and rescue efforts, the military said. The aircraft lost contact with air traffic controllers Tuesday.
The Air Force said it has set up a committee to investigate the cause of the incident.
http://www.chinapost.com.tw
No comments:
Post a Comment