Thai military pilot dead in children’s air show crash

By Max Constant

BANGKOK (AA) - A military pilot was killed Saturday when a fighter jet crashed at an air show for Children’s Day in southern Thailand.

Gen. Sarakot Mangsing, an administrator of the military’s air safety bureau, told Anadolu Agency that authorities “are not able to determine now the exact cause of the accident”.

“The only thing I can say for now is that the plane was in good condition and that there was no problem with the pilot. A full investigation will take about one month,” he said after a meeting with air force officers in charge of the investigation into the accident.

The plane, a Swedish-made Jas 39C Gripen fighter jet, was participating in an air show Saturday morning in front of a crowd of children and adults near the Hat Yai military airport.

The plane crashed on one of the airport’s runways just after, according to the Bangkok Post, the pilot had made a surprise attack as part of the show. The pilot was killed on the spot.

Nobody was hurt in the crowd. The Hat Yai civilian airport was closed for several hours after the accident.

The Royal Thai Air Force has asked the public not to share videos or pictures of the crash on the Internet out of respect for the victim’s family.

In 2008, Thailand bought 12 Gripen 39C fighter jets from the Swedish company Saab for $960 millions to replace its ageing United States-made F-5 A/B planes. Six were delivered in 2010 and the remainder in 2013.

Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia to use Gripen jets.