SEOUL, March 13 (Bernama-Yonhap) -- Two Air Force fighter jet pilots were booked Thursday over last week's accidental bombing of a village after pilot error was found to be the cause of the accident, South Korean’s defense ministry said.
Last Thursday, two KF-16 fighter jets dropped eight MK-82 bombs outside a training range in Pocheon, some 40 kilometres north of Seoul, during live-fire drills, injuring 38 people, including 24 civilians.
"The Criminal Investigation Command has confirmed in the probe to date that the pilots' erroneous entry of target coordinates was the direct cause of the accident," Yonhap news agency reported the defense ministry said in a notice to reporters.
The pilots, booked as of Thursday, have been charged with professional negligence resulting in injury, according to the ministry.
In an interim probe released Monday, the Air Force pointed to pilot error for the accidental bombing, saying the pilots had at least three opportunities to catch their mistake after entering the wrong target coordinates prior to takeoff.
The Air Force also attributed the accident to inadequate management and inspection procedures and dismissed two unit commanders over their failure to give specific instructions to their subordinates.
-- BERNAMA-YONHAP
