이임 기념사진 촬영 중 기체 접촉으로 파손된 F-15K

[위종민]

2021년 12월 24일 F-15K가 비행중 접촉해 날개가 파손되는 사건이 있었네요. 관례적으로 이임 전 기념사진 촬영을 해왔었다고 하는데... 

한국군 조종사, 사진 촬영 기동 중 F-15K 충돌 책임

감사원 보고서, 개인 사진 촬영 기동이 2021년 F-15K 충돌 원인임을 밝혀
작성자: Clement Charpentreau
17시간 전
국방
DLeng / Shutterstock.com
2026년 4월 22일 발표된 감사 보고서에 따르면, 대한민국 감사원은 2021년 12월 편대 비행 중 발생한 전투기 두 대의 충돌 사고로 인한 피해에 대해 전직 대한민국 공군(ROKAF) 소령에게 책임을 물었습니다. 해당 조종사는 다른 전투기에서 자신의 기체를 촬영할 수 있도록 사전 협의되지 않은 기동을 수행한 것으로 밝혀졌습니다.

이 사건은 감사원 보고서 '국가재정 누수 방지 및 집행의 적정성 점검 II'에 '비행 중 개인 기념사진 촬영으로 인한 전투기 날개 파손'이라는 제목으로 등재되었습니다.

감사 결과에 따르면, 사고는 2021년 12월 24일 2대 편대 비행 중에 발생했습니다. 감사원 보고서 자체는 국가 안보 사항을 다루는 공공기관의 정보공개에 관한 법률 조항을 근거로 기종과 관련 부대 명칭을 삭제했습니다.

한국 일간지 조선일보는 자체 취재원을 바탕으로 해당 기체가 대구 제11전투비행단에서 운용하는 F-15K였다고 보도했습니다.

경위
대한민국 공군 제11전투비행단 소속 F-15K 전투기 (출처: 대한민국 국군)
감사에 따르면, A 소령으로만 식별된 이 조종사는 비행 전 브리핑에서 다른 편대원들에게 보직 이동 전 마지막 출격인 이번 비행을 영상으로 남기고 싶다고 말했습니다. 임무를 마치고 기지로 복귀하던 중, 그는 기내에 가지고 들어온 카메라로 녹화를 시작했습니다. 보고서는 다른 기체의 조종사가 그의 사진을 찍어주겠다고 제안하자, 그는 자신의 전투기 후방석 장교에게 대신 영상을 녹화하라고 지시했다고 전했습니다.

감사원은 해당 조종사가 이후 편대의 다른 기체들과 협의하지 않은 채 기동을 수행하며, 기체의 윗면이 영상에 잘 보이도록 기체를 상승시키고 뱅크(경사)를 주었다고 밝혔습니다. 보고서에 따르면, 해당 기체는 13,140피트에서 13,240피트로 상승했으며, 312노트(시속 578킬로미터)의 속도로 비행 중이었고 137도까지 롤(횡전)했습니다. 기체가 다른 전투기에 너무 가까이 다가가자 두 기체 모두 회피 기동을 시도했으나, 한 전투기의 왼쪽 수평 안정판이 다른 전투기의 왼쪽 날개와 충돌했습니다.

충돌로 인해 두 기체 모두 파손되었으며 총 878,709,963원(약 62만 달러)의 수리비가 발생했다고 보고서는 명시했습니다. 이 수치에는 한 기체의 부품 45개와 다른 기체의 부품 6개를 교체한 비용이 포함되었습니다.

조종사에게 책임을 물은 이유
감사원은 해당 조종사가 이번 사건에 대한 일차적인 책임을 진다고 판단했습니다. 감사원은 그가 개인적인 목적으로 기동을 수행했으며, 임무 지휘관이나 다른 조종사들에게 명확히 알리지 않았고, 안전 거리를 유지하지 못했다고 주장했습니다. 보고서는 2010년에 임관한 이 장교가 2013년 12월부터 F-15K 전방석 조종을 해왔으며 2018년부터 편대 지도 자격(supervisor)을 갖추고 있었다는 점에 주목했습니다. 감사 결과에 따르면, 그는 그러한 롤 기동이 의도한 각도를 벗어나 비행 경로를 다른 전투기 쪽으로 이동시킬 수 있음을 알고 있었어야 했습니다.

해당 조종사는 이륙 전에 사진을 원한다는 언급을 했으므로 다른 승무원들이 어느 정도의 기동을 예상했어야 한다고 주장했습니다. 감사원은 사진을 찍고 싶다는 막연한 언급이 이후 이어진 특정 기동에 대한 승인을 의미하지는 않는다고 밝히며 그 주장을 기각했고, 해당 움직임이 갑작스러웠다는 다른 조종사들의 증언을 인용했습니다. 임무 지휘관은 감사에서 당시 자신은 앞서 수평 비행 중이었기에 해당 기동을 예상할 방법이 없었다고 진술하며, 미리 경고를 받았다면 안전 조치를 취했을 것이라고 덧붙였습니다.

배상 책임 90% 감경
대한민국 공군 제11전투비행단 소속 F-15K 전투기 (출처: 미 공군 사진)
감사원은 조종사가 전체 피해 금액에 대해 책임이 있다고 결론지었으나, 그의 재정적 책임을 90% 감경하여 87,870,996원(약 62,000달러)을 변상하도록 명령했습니다. 보고서는 이러한 감경에 여러 참작 사유가 반영되었다고 밝혔는데, 여기에는 이전까지 기내 촬영이 엄격하게 통제되지 않았고 다른 조종사들도 이전 임무에서 사진을 찍었던 증거가 있다는 점, 해당 장교가 추가 피해 없이 기체를 안전하게 착륙시킨 점, 그리고 시험 비행과 기체 정비 기여를 포함하여 전투기 조종사로서 쌓아온 긴 복무 기록 등이 포함되었습니다.

국방부는 당초 2023년 6월 27일, 회계관계직원 등의 책임에 관한 법률에 따라 조종사에게 수리비 전액에 대한 변상 명령을 내린 바 있습니다. 조종사는 2023년 10월 감사원에 판정을 청구했으며, 이 사건은 2026년 4월 2일 최종 결정되어 2026년 4월 22일 감사 보고서에 게재되었습니다.

감사 보고서에 조종사의 이후 경력에 대한 언급은 없으나, 그가 2021년 12월 충돌 사고 후 약 3개월 뒤인 2022년 3월 22일까지 해당 비행 보직을 유지했다고 명시되어 있습니다. 현지 매체들은 그가 정직 처분을 받은 뒤 군을 떠나 민간 항공사 조종사로 이직했다고 보도했습니다.

ROKAF pilot blamed for F-15K collision during photo maneuver

ROKAF pilot blamed for F-15K collision during photo maneuver

ROKAF report finds personal photo maneuver caused 2021 F-15K collision

ByClement Charpentreau

17 hours ago

Defense

DLeng / Shutterstock.com

South Korea’s Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) has held a former Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) major liable for damage caused when two fighter jets collided during a formation flight in December 2021, after the pilot carried out an uncoordinated maneuver so his aircraft could be filmed from another jet, according to an audit report published on April 22, 2026. 

The case appears in the BAI report Inspection of Illegal Expenditure and Financial Leakage II, listed under the title “Damage to a fighter jet wing while taking personal commemorative photos during flight.”  

The audit says the mishap took place on December 24, 2021, during a two-ship formation flight. The BAI report itself redacts the aircraft type and the wing involved, citing provisions of South Korea’s Official Information Disclosure Act covering national security matters. 

RELATEDSouth Korea charges two ROKAF pilots for accidental bombing of village

South Korean daily Chosun Ilbo reported that the aircraft were F-15Ks operated by the 11th Fighter Wing at Daegu, based on its own sourcing. 

What happened 

F-15K fighters of the Republic of Korea Air Force 11th Fighter Wing (Credit: Republic of Korea Armed Forces)

According to the audit, the pilot, identified only as Major A, told other members of the formation during the pre-flight briefing that he wanted to film the flight on his last sortie before a reassignment. After completing the mission and returning toward base, he began recording with a camera he had brought onboard. The report says that when the pilot of the other aircraft offered to take photos of him, he instructed the back-seat officer in his own jet to record video instead. 

The BAI says the pilot then carried out a maneuver without coordinating it with the rest of the formation, climbing and banking his aircraft so its upper side would be visible in the footage. According to the report, the aircraft climbed from 13,140 feet to 13,240 feet, was flying at 312 knots (578 kilometers per hour), and rolled to 137 degrees. As the jet moved too close to the other aircraft, both attempted evasive action, but the left stabilator of one fighter struck the left wing of the other. 

The collision damaged both aircraft and caused repair costs totaling KRW 878,709,963 (approximately $620,000), the report states. That figure included the replacement of 45 parts on one aircraft and six parts on the other. 

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Why the pilot was held liable 

The BAI found that the pilot bore primary responsibility for the incident. It argued that he conducted the maneuver for a personal purpose, did not clearly inform the mission leader or other pilots, and failed to maintain safe separation. The report notes that the officer, commissioned in 2010, had been flying the F-15K from the front seat since December 2013 and had been designated as a formation supervisor since 2018. He should have known, the audit says, that such a roll could exceed the intended angle and shift the aircraft’s flight path toward the other jet. 

The pilot argued that he had mentioned wanting a photo before takeoff and that the other crew should therefore have anticipated some maneuvering. The BAI rejected that argument, saying a vague reference to wanting a picture did not amount to approval for the specific maneuver that followed, and citing testimony from other pilots that the move was sudden. The mission leader told the audit that he had been flying ahead in level flight at the time and had no way to anticipate the maneuver, adding that he would have taken safety measures had he been warned. 

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A 90% reduction in liability 

F-15K fighters of the Republic of Korea Air Force 11th Fighter Wing (Credit: U.S. Air Force photo)

Although the BAI concluded that the pilot was responsible for the full damage amount, it reduced his financial liability by 90%, ordering him to reimburse KRW 87,870,996 (approximately $62,000). The report says the reduction reflected several mitigating factors, including evidence that in-flight filming had not been strictly controlled beforehand and that other pilots had taken photos during previous missions, the fact that the officer safely recovered the aircraft without further damage, and his longer record of service as a fighter pilot that included test flights and contributions to aircraft maintenance. 

The Ministry of National Defense had issued the original compensation order on June 27, 2023, seeking the full repair cost from the pilot under South Korea’s Accounting Personnel Responsibility Act. The pilot filed for BAI adjudication in October 2023, and the case was finalized on April 2, 2026, before being published in the audit report on April 22, 2026. 

While the audit report is silent on the pilot’s later career, it says he remained in that flying post until March 22, 2022, around three months after the December 2021 collision. Local media reported that he was suspended, left military service, and moved to commercial airline flying. 

https://www.chosun.com/politics/goverment/2026/04/22/PVNA5VATVBC3NLYF5UY34TFQQU/

[단독] 공군 조종사 ‘인생샷 남긴다’… 1000억 F-15기 뒤집다 충돌