Alpha Jet trainer pilot seriously injured after ejecting himself off in northeastern Thailand 

BANGKOK, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) - A Thai air force pilot was seriously injured after he jettisoned himself from an Alpha Jet trainer plane in northeastern Thailand on Wednesday.

Air force spokesman Pongsak Semachai identified the pilot as Sukhothai Srisomsai, who was found lying on open ground in Loei province, about 520 kilometers northeast of Bangkok. Local villagers scrambled to send the injured pilot to hospital.

Sukhothai, who was flying as the second pilot, instantly ejected himself from the two-seater Alpha Jet plane as he was helping the first pilot, identified as Flying Officer Puri Chulapallop, with a flying exercise aboard the French/German-built trainer aircraft.

However, the trainee pilot stayed aboard and managed to fly the Alpha Jet plane safely back to Air Wing 23 in Udorn Thani province, where both air force officers are based, according to the air force spokesman.

Air force officers at the northeastern air wing are yet to investigate the possible cause which immediately made the trainer pilot jettison himself off, Pongsak said.

Last month, an air force pilot was killed when a JAS-39 Gripen jet fighter crashlanded at Hat Yai airport in southern Thailand during an air show watched by hundreds of children on the National Children's Day.

The pilot, identified as Dilokrit Pathavi, did not jettison himself from the Swedish-made fighter which had immediately swooped down seconds before the crash. Enditem