Taiwan training plane crash kills two pilots

A Taiwanese military training aircraft crashed Tuesday morning during a simulated engine failure exercise, killing the two pilots on board. The T-34 plane went down at 8:08 a.m. at the northern end of the runway at Gangshan Air Base in Kaohsiung, the defense ministry announced.

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deeply saddened

The Air Force has established a task force to investigate the cause of the crash. The pilots were identified by their rank and surnames as Lieutenant Colonels Lu and Guo.

President Lai Ching-te expressed deep sadness over the loss of life, calling the pilots "heroic" and thanking them for their "sacrifice and dedication" to Taiwan. A spokesperson for the Air Force declined to offer further details when contacted by AFP.

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heroic

Taiwan's Air Force uses Beechcraft single-engine propeller planes as its primary trainer aircraft, according to the defense ministry's website. These planes were first delivered to Taiwan in 1984. This incident follows a January crash of an F-16 fighter jet off eastern Taiwan during a routine training mission, where the pilot is believed to have ejected but has not been found.

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sacrifice and dedication