BANGKOK — The Royal Thai Air Force said it has yet to figure out why one of its jet fighters went down during a Children’s Day airshow two months ago.
An airforce pilot was killed when his JAS 39 Gripen went down in front of hundreds of terrified onlookers during the Jan. 14 show in Songkhla province. The military promised a swift investigation, but there was still no answer to what happened as of Tuesday morning.
“We have not completed the investigation,” Maj. Gen. Pongsak Semachai said by telephone Tuesday. He also said he doesn’t know when the results would be available.
In the meantime, the spokesman said other Gripen jets would continue flying as usual.
“We won’t ground them. They are still being used in operations,” Pongsak said.
The crash took place as the pilot, Squadron Leader Dilokrit Pattawee, was demonstrating an assault maneuver with the Swedish-made jet fighter.
The plane was one of 12 Gripens acquired by the air force in 2008 for 34 billion baht.
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