No emergency communication occurred before fatal patrol plane crash: Navy

Crew members aboard a maritime patrol aircraft that fatally crashed earlier this week had no communication with the ground control tower over an emergency situation until the last minute, the Navy said Friday.

A Navy P-3CK patrol plane crashed on a mountain in Pohang, about 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at 1:49 p.m. Thursday, six minutes after taking off for routine training from a nearby air base, killing all four Navy officers aboard. No civilian casualties were reported.

“The last communication between the control tower and the aircraft occurred at 1:48 p.m., and there were no details indicating an emergency situation,” the Navy said.

The aircraft was usually based on the southern island of Jeju but had flown to Pohang for touch-and-go training due to heavy civilian air traffic at the Jeju airport.

The accident occurred when the aircraft was circling to the right after completing its first round of training, according to the Navy. The aircraft remained on a prearranged flight route, and the weather conditions in Pohang were favorable at the time of the accident, officials said.

Surveillance camera footage, provided by the Navy upon permission from the bereaved family members of the crew members, showed the aircraft flying on a seemingly normal operation and abruptly plummeting within a few seconds.

The 86-second video, comprising two clips filmed in separate locations, showed the aircraft suddenly nosediving into an area near a block of residential homes while flying on a circular route.

Navy officials suspect a mechanical issue in the aircraft likely caused the crash.

“There is a possibility that a mechanical issue occurred in the engine system,” a Navy official said, noting the aircraft appears to have lost momentum to thrust forward while turning right.

Some experts, on the other hand, pointed to a potential issue with the flight control system, noting how the aircraft plummeted vertically.

“It is slightly more likely that there was an issue with the flight control system, rather than with the engine system,” said Lee Geun-young, a professor of flight operation at the Korea National University of Transportation.

Ko Seung-hee, a flight operation professor at Silla University, also suspected a potential disconnect or malfunction of the cable in the flight control system as the reason for the crash.

The armed service plans to determine the cause of the accident by comprehensively analyzing the aircraft’s track data, sound clips recorded on a cockpit voice recorder retrieved earlier in the day and debris of the aircraft.

Following an on-site probe, the Navy plans to transfer the wreckage of the aircraft to the Naval Air Command and conduct a joint investigation with civilian experts.

A Navy official said authorities will carry out the investigation without ruling out any possible causes, including a bird strike, turbulence or a sudden change in the weather.

As part of response measures, the Navy also plans to conduct a special safety inspection of all P-3 maritime patrol aircraft, which have been grounded following the accident.

The P-3CK aircraft that crashed Thursday was deployed to the Navy in 2010 and was set to retire in 2030. Initially manufactured by U.S. defense firm Lockheed Martin, it was supplied to the U.S. Navy in 1966.

“With the exception of the aircraft frame, it was renovated akin to the level of a new aircraft and went through intense safety inspections,” a Navy official said.

South Korea operates 16 P-3 aircraft, dubbed the “submarine killer” for its anti-submarine capabilities. The first eight of the 16 aircraft, labeled the P-3C, were deployed in 1995, and another eight, renovated by the defense firm Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. and named the P-3CK, were subsequently deployed.

When asked about the possibility of the pilots intentionally veering the aircraft to prevent civilian damage, a Navy official said they likely made their “utmost efforts” to minimize such damage.

The two pilots who operated the aircraft had a track record of 1,700 and 900 hours, respectively, of flight time.

A funeral process for the four Navy officers, whose ranks were promoted by one notch following the accident, will begin later Friday. They will be laid to rest at Daejeon National Cemetery on Sunday.