Pilot error blamed for accidental release of gun pods from fighter jet in South Korea

Pilot error caused two gun pods and empty fuel tanks to be accidentally released from a fighter jet near South Korea's capital last week, the country's air force said Monday.

A two-seat KA-1 light attack aircraft taking part in nighttime drills Friday over Pyeongchang County in Gangwon province, about 125 kilometers (77 miles) east of Seoul, jettisoned the parts in a mountainous area, Yonhap News Agency reported.

No casualties or infrastructure damage was reported in the accident, which prompted the air force to ground nearly all of its aircraft.

The results of a probe showed that negligence of the rear-seat pilot was confirmed to be the cause of the jettison, the air force said in a statement.

The pilot was found to have mistakenly pressed the emergency jettison button while trying to adjust the heater.

The air force apologized to the public for causing concern and vowed to come up with practical measures to prevent similar accidents.

Operations of all aircraft, which had been mostly grounded following the accident, will resume Tuesday afternoon.

The latest accident took place after two KF-16 fighter jets mistakenly dropped eight MK-82 bombs outside a training range in Pocheon, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Seoul, during live-fire drills on March 6, injuring 52 people, including 38 civilians.