Fighter Pilot Ordered To Pay Nearly $60K After Selfie Caused An F-15K Crash

At one point or another, everyone screws up at work enough to draw far more attention than they want. In most cases, these kinds of things make the person who screwed up look bad, but they're not so horrible that they must fork over tens of thousands of dollars due to their action. That's not the case for a former fighter pilot who not only messed up big time, but did so in a way that cost them nearly $60,000.

In 2021, an accident involving two F-15K Slam Eagles, which is a variant of the F-15 flown by the Republic of Korea Air Force, collided in mid-air. The collision occurred near the city of Daegu in December, and it came about when the aircraft executed what were, according to The Guardian, "unplanned manoeuvres" that resulted in the crash. The fighter jets got too close to one another, leading both crews to attempt evasive maneuvers. This avoided a potentially lethal crash, but the wingman's tail hit the lead aircraft's wing. Fortunately, no one was injured, but both jets sustained significant damage.

The cost to repair both aircraft came out to around 880 million won, or around $600,000. The investigation into the crash took the better part of five years to complete, and in the end, one pilot was ordered to pay around 10% of the total cost in damages, which comes out to around $60,000. This kind of screwup could have been significantly worse, and it all came about because one person decided to snap a selfie during unauthorized aerial maneuvers.

The Board of Audit and Inspection outlined what occurred during the flight that resulted in the collision of two F-15Ks, and it doesn't make the pilots look good. The investigation found that it was common for pilots to take pictures while operating the legendary F-15 fighter jet, and that's what went down in December 2021. According to the report, the pilot, who was ultimately made to pay for 10% of the damages, made it clear prior to the flight that they planned to take pictures.

The pilot operated the wingman aircraft, which followed the lead aircraft during an unspecified mission. During this, he began shooting pictures with his phone from inside his F-15K's cockpit, and when the lead pilot noticed, he asked for video of his jet. He then executed an altitude climb followed by a flip, which is how the two aircraft came in such close proximity. An attempt to rapidly descend failed to avoid the collision, and the two jets struck one another. The wingman pilot taking the video was suspended and later left the military.

The Board of Audit and Inspection found that the military was partly to blame, as it hadn't outlined rules against using personal cameras during missions. This is how the determination was made to charge the former wingman pilot only 10% of the cost of repairs. According to the Economic Research Institute, a Korean Air Force pilot's annual salary is around 118 million won, or about $78K, so the fine is significant.