South Korean Air Force Planes Collide in Mid-Air After Takeoff, Killing 4 Pilots

The South Korean Airforce F15K team fly in formation during the Seoul Airshow 2009 and Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition 2009 at the Sungnam military air base in Seoul, South Korea, on Oct. 20, 2009. Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

Two South Korean air force planes reportedly collided in mid-air shortly after takeoff during flight training and crashed near their base on Apr. 1, killing all four pilots aboard the planes, authorities said.

The two planes, identified as KT-1 trainer aircraft, collided five minutes after taking off from their base in the southeastern city of Sacheon at 1.37 p.m. on Friday, Yonhap News Agency (YNA) reported, citing the air force and local disaster response officials.