IRIA News

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A South Korean Navy P-3C Orion turboprop surveillance plane crashed on May 29, 2025, in the southeastern coastal city of Pohang, killing all four personnel on board. The crash occurred on a mountain near a residential area, according to authorities and eyewitnesses.

“All four uniformed personnel aboard a Navy patrol plane were killed after a crash on a mountain in southeastern South Korea,” the South Korean military confirmed in a statement. The deceased include two commissioned officers and two non-commissioned officers. Authorities confirmed that the remains of all four individuals have been recovered, although some were severely burned due to the fire caused by the crash.

The aircraft took off from its base in Pohang at 1:43 p.m., just seven minutes before it went down under still-unexplained circumstances. The Navy has stated that an internal investigation is underway, and a dedicated task force has been established to determine the cause of the tragedy.

“There were no immediate reports of civilian casualties on the ground,” the Navy confirmed. However, the crash occurred dangerously close to an apartment complex, and residents were the first to report the incident after seeing thick black smoke rising from the nearby mountain.

An emergency office in Pohang stated, “Rescuers and fire trucks were dispatched to the site after receiving reports from residents that an aircraft crashed on a hill near an apartment complex and caused a fire.”

WATCH 🔴

A South Korean Navy P-3C maritime patrol aircraft with four crew members crashed during a training flight near Pohang today. pic.twitter.com/1YTY9KtD5c

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) May 29, 2025

Photos from the scene showed heavy smoke engulfing trees around the crash site, as flames flickered amid the debris. Firefighters sprayed water on what appeared to be remnants of the aircraft, while helicopters hovered above to monitor and contain the fire. In total, two helicopters and around 40 firefighters were deployed in the immediate aftermath to extinguish the blaze and secure the area.

The crashed aircraft was one of the eight P-3CK variants currently operated by the South Korean Navy from its bases in Pohang and Jeju. These aircraft, developed from the Lockheed P-3 Orion platform, are dubbed “submarine killers” due to their anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities, including advanced sonar, radar, and torpedoes.

The incident has prompted the South Korean navy to ground its entire fleet of P-3 aircraft temporarily. “The navy has set up a task force to investigate the crash and has temporarily grounded its fleet of P-3s,” the statement said.

This tragic event comes at a critical time for South Korea’s naval aviation. The country is in the process of modernizing its patrol fleet, with Boeing’s P-8A Poseidon aircraft expected to replace the aging P-3C models. The upgrade program is scheduled for completion by mid-2025.

The Poseidon is widely considered one of the most advanced maritime surveillance aircraft in the world, offering enhanced situational awareness and broader reconnaissance capabilities.

While the navy has yet to publicly speculate on possible technical failures, pilot error, or weather conditions contributing to the crash, aviation analysts suggest that age and wear on the P-3 fleet may become a point of focus. Most of South Korea’s P-3Cs were acquired in the 1990s and early 2000s, and despite periodic upgrades, concerns over their longevity have persisted.

Thursday’s crash has again raised safety questions surrounding South Korea’s military and civilian aviation infrastructure. It follows a fatal civilian aviation incident just months ago, in December 2024, when a Jeju Air passenger jet crashed during landing at Muan International Airport, killing 179 of the 181 people on board. That disaster was one of the deadliest in the country’s aviation history and prompted a nationwide review of aircraft maintenance protocols.

As the nation mourns the loss of the four military personnel, tributes have begun pouring in from across the country. The Ministry of National Defense has pledged full support for the families of the victims and assured the public of a transparent investigation.

“We will spare no effort in identifying the cause of this tragic accident and ensuring that such incidents do not recur,” a defense ministry spokesperson said.

Military officials have stated that further details, including the identities of the deceased and preliminary findings from the crash investigation, will be made public in the coming days.

For now, the nation’s focus remains on recovering from yet another aviation tragedy and understanding the circumstances that led a routine training flight to end in catastrophe.