A Taiwanese military training aircraft crashed on Tuesday during a simulated engine failure exercise, killing the two pilots on board, the defence ministry said in a statement.
The T-34 plane crashed at 8:08am (0008 GMT) at the northern end of the runway at Gangshan Air Base in the island’s southern port city of Kaohsiung, the ministry said.
The Air Force has set up a task force to investigate what caused the crash. The pilots have been identified only by their rank and surnames, Lieutenant Colonels Lu and Guo.
President Lai Ching-te said he was “deeply saddened” at the loss of life, describing the pilots as “heroic” and thanking them for their “sacrifice and dedication” to Taiwan.
A spokesperson for the Air Force declined to provide further details when contacted by AFP.
Taiwan’s Air Force uses Beechcraft single-engine propeller planes as the primary trainer aircraft for its pilots, according to the defence ministry’s website. The planes were first delivered to Taiwan in 1984.
In January, an F-16 fighter jet crashed into the sea off eastern Taiwan during a routine training mission. The pilot is believed to have ejected from the aircraft but has not been found.
The crash comes at a tense moment for Taiwan, which is facing slowly mounting pressure abroad. Chinese officials continue to insist Taiwan is part of China and describe military activity around the island as “entirely justified and reasonable”, blaming tensions on Taiwan’s government and foreign support for Taipei. Taiwan has responded by strengthening its defences, expanding its coast guard and missile capabilities, increasing cooperation with the United States and Japan, and preparing for scenarios involving a blockade.
US support for Taiwan remains a hot-button issue. Washington continues to provide military assistance and weapons sales to Taipei, which Beijing sees as interference in its internal affairs. China’s largest military drills in late 2025 followed a record US arms package for Taiwan and explicitly warned “external forces” against intervening in the Taiwan issue. The latest military activity came this week when Japan reported China’s aircraft carrier Liaoning conducted extensive operations east of the Philippines. Taiwan’s defence ministry said it closely monitored the carrier group, which recently became the first Chinese carrier to transit the Taiwan Strait since December.
