TAK: An air force pilot was killed and his co-pilot seriously injured when their trainer jet crashed onto a golf course in Sam Ngao district on Tuesday afternoon.
The L39 ZA/ART two-seater, single-engine plane was totally destroyed and engulfed in flames after the crash at Bhumibol Dam Golf Course around 3pm.
Firefighters and rescue workers were rushed to the scene as thick black smoke billowed up into the sky.
Sqn Ldr Kroekkiat Suwanno, 36, was found hanging by his parachute in a tree after the crash. He was seriously hurt and later died. Rescue workers used a crane to retrieve his body.
The co-pilot, Gp Capt Jirasak Namwongsri, 42, was found alive but seriously injured in the pilot’s seat. He was rushed to Sam Ngao Hospital.
Khaosod Online reported that the two pilots had departed from Wing 41 airbase in Chiang Mai, heading to Tak.
Air force spokesman AVM Pongsak Semachai later confirmed an L39 ZA/ART jet crashed in Tak during a training flight, killing one officer and injuring another.
The RTAF was investigating the cause of the crash, the spokesman said.
The blackened wreckage of the Czech-made L39 ZA/ART trainer jet at Bhumibol Dam Golf Course on Tuesday. (Photo by Assawin Pinitwong)