Selfie Attempt Caused S. Korean F-15K Mid-Air Crash
The Spin
Narrative A
A fighter pilot crashed a multimillion-dollar jet because he was chasing a better selfie angle, which is exactly the kind of distraction that cell phones cause everywhere from highways to cockpits. Mobile phone use has already downed civilian aircraft in the U.S. in 2014 and 2021, and now it's taken out two F-15Ks mid-mission. No photo is worth a $596,000 repair bill and nearly two downed warplanes.
Narrative B
The F-15K collision wasn't just pilot recklessness — the South Korean Air Force created the conditions for it by never banning personal cameras during flights. Taking commemorative photos on final flights was a widespread, tolerated practice, and the audit board recognized that shared institutional failure. Pinning the full blame on one pilot ignores how military culture and absent regulations set the stage.
Metaculus Prediction
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