Fighter jet engine sucks in officer, a short time later she is dead

Taichung (Taiwan) - Officer Hu had already served in the Taiwanese military for 17 years. On the day of the accident, everything was going according to plan, but she lost her life during a very simple routine.

The accident fighter jet was a Taiwanese F-CK-1 fighter aircraft (IDF) for national defense.
The accident fighter jet was a Taiwanese F-CK-1 fighter aircraft (IDF) for national defense.  © Chiang Ying-ying/AP/dpa

According to a report by Taipei Times, the tragic incident occurred yesterday morning, Tuesday, at the Ching Chuan Kang Air Base in Taiwan.

After a domestic defense fighter plane (IDF) landed, Officer Hu wanted to attach wheel chocks to the plane to prevent it from rolling away.

For reasons as yet unexplained, she was tragically sucked into the fighter jet's engine during this routine operation, which she had performed countless times before.

Her colleagues immediately took her to a nearby hospital, but the officer's injuries were so severe that she died in hospital.

Military expert is skeptical after incident

According to the expert, the air intakes of the engines on a Taiwanese defense fighter aircraft (IDF) are actually too small for an adult person.
According to the expert, the air intakes of the engines on a Taiwanese defense fighter aircraft (IDF) are actually too small for an adult person.  © Chiang Ying-ying/AP/dpa

Shortly afterwards, a military expert spoke up. He reacted with disbelief to the accident and mentioned that the probability of a person being sucked in by the engines when the aircraft was stationary was negligible.

According to him, the engines of a fighter jet switch to a kind of "stand-by" mode after landing, in which they only reach a low speed.

In addition, the fighter jet's air intakes are so small that a full-grown human could not actually fit into them.

Further investigations to clarify how the incident occurred have already been initiated.