Taiwan grounds AIDC T-5 trainers after first crash
February 23, 2025
The Brave Eagle crashed at about 8:40 am local about 5 nautical miles off the coast of Taitung County.
The Republic of China Air Force (RoCAF) said that the aircraft (the thirtieth T-5, serial number 1130, code 13-9032) experienced a double engine failure after departing Chihhang Air Base near the southeastern city of Taitung. The single pilot, Lin Wei ejected over water using his Martin-Baker X12J Seat and was rescued. The ROCAF grounded the T-5 fleet while it began an investigation, and the pilot was treated at Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taitung Branch.
The air force established a special task force to investigate, with an AIDC team joining the task force.
The aircraft had only clocked up 183 flying hours at the time of the accident, which was the first crash of the type.
The AIDC T-5 Brave Eagle (Yǒngyīng) is a derivative of the indigenous Taiwanese AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-Kuo combat aircraft, originally known as the XAT-5 Lán Què (Blue Magpie). It was developed by the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) as a transonic advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft.
Though the two aircraft have a very similar ‘outer mould line’, and share variants of the same engine. The T-5 is powered by a pair of Honeywell F124 engines, the non-afterburning derivative of the F125 that powers the F-CK-1. The T-5 has 80% new components including a composite body. The wing aerofoil section is revised, with a thicker cross section than on the F-CK-1 in order to increase stability at low speed and low altitude, as well as to provide increased fuel capacity.
The first of four ‘prototypes’ (11001, 08-9001) was rolled out by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen In September 2019, and made its maiden flight on 10 June 2020. The first production model T-5 (11003) made its first flight on 21 October 2021. The following month, deliveries to the RoCAF began.
The RoCAF plans to induct 66 T-5s by 2026 to replace the ageing AIDC AT-3 jet trainers and Northrop F-5E/F lead-in fighter trainers. Some 41 or 42 had been delivered by February 2025.
