Taiwan has indefinitely suspended flights with its T-34C training aircraft after a crash that killed two pilots.
Major General Jiang Yichen, the island's air force chief, announced that the planes have been completely grounded pending an investigation into the cause of the accident.
“All T-34C aircraft have been grounded and pilots are temporarily using simulators for training“, the Taipei Times quoted him as saying.
According to the newspaper, both crew members were experienced pilots and practiced a complex exercise during the flight - simulating an engine failure. The crash occurred on June 2 near Gangshan Air Base, near Kaohsiung.
According to Jiang Yichen, the plane passed a safety inspection on April 9 and has not had any serious problems since then. He added that none of the pilots reported any problems or malfunctions, and the weather conditions, including visibility, were suitable for flying. The air force has formed a task force to investigate the cause of the crash.
In 1985, Taiwan purchased approximately 50 single-engine, two-seat T-34C aircraft, manufactured by the American company Beechcraft, as training aircraft for military pilots. About 30 of them are still in service with the island's air force. Taipei has previously announced plans to replace these aircraft with more modern ones by the early 2030s.