Chinese Shenyang Jian-8 (J-8) crashes in Zhejiang, pilot killed

Shenyang JZ-8F. Note the camera fairing immediately aft of the nose landing gear. (Chinese Internet)

BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- A fighter plane crashed in Anji County in east China's Zhejiang Province at 7:11 p.m. on Thursday, leaving the pilot dead, according to the Ministry of National Defense.

The fighter aircraft, the Jian-8, was conducting night flight training when the accident occurred, the ministry said in a statement on its website Friday.

There are no casualties on the ground, according to the statement.

My notes: Judging by the location of the crash, the aircraft could be a Shenyang JZ-8F reconnaissance platform from the Nanjing Military Region's 93rd Brigade, based at Suzhou to the northeast of Anji County.

Another possibility is that the crashed aircraft was a J-8H interceptor of the 78th Brigade at Shanghai-Chongming, an island immediately to the north of Shanghai. (Map © Google )

PLAAF J-8II crashes on landing, pilot ejects safely

Press reports from China indicate that a People's Liberation Army Air Force Shenyang J-8II fighter-bomber has crashed while attempting a landing at Foshan in Guangdong Province, China. The pilot ejected safely. China Defense Blog has identified the aircraft as from the PLAAF's 8th Air Division.