Seoul: South Korea's military has grounded its fleet of KF-16 fighter jets after an accident in Alaska, which was determined to be caused by pilot error. The incident occurred as the aircraft attempted to take off from a taxiway instead of the designated runway.

According to Anadolu Agency, an air force official stated in a press briefing that the South Korean air force plans to continue participating in the ongoing Red Flag exercise, which will proceed as scheduled until June 27. The decision comes after an investigation concluded that the accident was not due to any mechanical failure of the aircraft.

The incident took place last week during takeoff from Eielson Air Force Base, as part of the Red Flag Alaska drills. South Korea had deployed 11 aircraft for these exercises this year. Both pilots on board the KF-16 were unharmed, having ejected from the aircraft during the emergency situation at 9:02 am South Korean time (0002 GMT).

A 20-member team from South Korea has been dispatched to Alaska to investigate the accident and conduct emergency maintenance, in collaboration with US authorities. In a separate incident, a South Korean navy surveillance plane crashed in the country on May 29, resulting in the loss of all four personnel on board.