Crash of Navy aircraft in Pohang leaves crew of four dead

The aircraft took off from its base in Pohang at around 1:43 p.m. for takeoff and landing training, but for unknown reasons, it crashed into a hill in Sinjeong-ri at around 1:49 p.m., just seven minutes later, according to the Navy.

The aircraft belongs to the Navy’s aviation command, with its home base at Jeju Naval Base. It had come to the Pohang Naval Base for training, according to the Navy.

The Navy said four people were on board, including one pilot, who was a major, one captain and two noncommissioned officers. All four bodies were recovered as of 6:35 p.m.

“We have established an accident response headquarters under the direction of the Vice Chief of Naval Operations and have suspended all P-3 patrol aircraft operations,” said the Navy.

The P-3CK aircraft that crashed had no previously reported structural defects. However, based on eyewitness accounts — such as “the aircraft suddenly nose-dived vertically with a roaring noise and burst into flames” — there are suspicions of maintenance issues or defects due to aging.

Some speculate that a sudden malfunction, such as a failure in the hydraulic system leading to engine shutdown, may have occurred. The P-3CK uses four turboprop (propeller-turbojet) engines, and the possibility that several of these engines suddenly malfunctioned can’t be ruled out.

The aircraft cruised for several minutes after takeoff before suddenly nose-diving, according to military sources. However, the Navy said it is “not presuming any specific causes, such as external factors affecting the aircraft.”

Unlike fighter jets, the P-3, which resembles a passenger aircraft, is equipped with parachutes and other emergency escape gear. However, in this case, it appears the crew had little time to evacuate.

This suggests that the nosedive and subsequent situation developed extremely rapidly. Given that the crash site is near an apartment complex with over 600 households, it is also possible that the pilots made efforts to minimize civilian casualties.

The P-3 maritime patrol aircraft is used for anti-submarine warfare. It replaced the older S-2 anti-submarine aircraft and has been in operation since 1995. It measures 35 meters (114.8 feet) in length, 30 meters in wingspan, and 11 meters in height, and is equipped with air-to-surface guided missiles, lightweight torpedoes and depth charges.

In 1995, eight P-3C aircraft were introduced, followed by eight P-3CK aircraft — refurbished versions of the U.S. Navy’s reserve P-3Bs — starting in 2010. A total of 16 units are currently in operation. Since the aircraft were produced at least as early as the 1990s, concerns about aging have been raised occasionally.

In particular, due to their role in detecting submarines from North Korea and neighboring countries, these patrol aircraft must operate 24/7 over the East and West Seas, raising concerns about airframe fatigue. For this reason, the Navy had planned to introduce six P-8A aircraft, a new-generation patrol aircraft, starting in the second half of this year. The accident occurred just before this upgrade in capability was to be implemented.

If it turns out that the accident was caused by aircraft aging, the Navy may suspend and inspect the entire fleet, which could lead to a gap in anti-submarine operational capabilities.

BY LEE YU-JUNG,LEE KEUN-PYUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]