PUBLISHED ONJune 02, 2026 3:58 AMUPDATED11 minutes agoBYSean LerTwo Taiwan Air Force pilots have died after the T-34 trainer aircraft they were piloting crashed during a training mission over Kaohsiung on Tuesday (June 2) morning.
In a statement published on its website, Taiwan's defence ministry said the pilots were conducting a simulated engine failure flight training mission when it crashed at the north end of a runway in Gangshan Air Base at 8.08am.
The trainer aircraft was piloted by two senior pilots, Lieutenant Colonel Lu and Lieutenant Colonel Kuo, both of whom died in the accident.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te reportedly said he was deeply saddened at the loss of life and thanked the two pilots for their "sacrifice and dedication" to Taiwan.
He added that he has asked the Ministry of National Defence to establish a task force to investigate the cause of the accident.
The T-34 was first delivered to Taiwan's Air Force in 1984 and serves as the primary trainer for its pilots. They are expected to reach the end of their service lives in 2033.
On January 6, Captain Hsin Po-yi went missing after his F-16V fighter jet plunged into the sea off Hualien during a night training mission.
Despite locating debris and intermitted signals from the black box, the pilot was not recovered during the intensive search that followed.
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