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Singapore to resume flying F-16 jets after crash this monthThe defence ministry said the May 8 crash was due to the plane's pitch rate gyroscopes giving erroneous inputs to the flight control computer.
Reuters
Last Updated IST
<div class="paragraphs"><p>A generic view of a flying F-16 fighter jet.&nbsp;</p></div>

A generic view of a flying F-16 fighter jet. 

REUTERS/Staff

Singapore: Singapore will resume flying its F-16 fleet after suspending training when one of the jets crashed earlier this month, the defence ministry on Saturday.

The defence ministry said the May 8 crash was due to the plane's pitch rate gyroscopes giving erroneous inputs to the flight control computer.

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"This led to the pilot being unable to control the plane at take-off," the statement said. The pilot ejected successfully.

F-16 fighter jets are fitted with four such gyroscopes. A simultaneous failure is very rare occurrence and a first for Singapore's fleet, the ministry said.

It added that all pitch rate gyroscopes will be checked and cleared before flights resume, and that the air force and F-16 manufacturer Lockheed Martin will look into the specific cause behind the malfunction.

The May crash was the first one for a Singapore fighter jet since 2004 when an F-16C went down during a night training mission in the US state of Arizona, killing the 25-year-old pilot, according to local media CNA.

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(Published 18 May 2024, 18:15 IST)