Thai air force pilot killed in training

A Thai air force fighter jet has crashed during a drill, killing the pilot.

The single-seat F-16A jet crashed at the air force’s training ground in central Lopburi province during a weapon-training flight, air vice-marshal Montol Suchookorn said.

He said the body of the 30-year-old pilot was found in the wreckage and air force officers are investigating the cause of the crash.

Thailand’s air force has about 50 active F-16s in three fleets. The crashed jet was first used in 1988 and has undergone regular maintenance, Mr Montol said.

In 2010, another F-16A crashed near the Thai-Burma border during a training flight, killing the pilot. A year later, two F-16 planes taking part in a joint military exercise with the US crashed in north-eastern Thailand but the pilots safely ejected.