In response to the media report that "a Mirage fighter jet made a return flight due to failure, and the pilot was suspected of conducting a catapult escape, ignoring the close at hand in favor of the far afield," the Air Force Command stated today (17) that when pilots encounter abnormal conditions in air, they must consider cockpit information, mechanical conditions, the geographical environment, air facilities, the weather, and other complex factors in a very short period of time. Then, based on their duty as well as their knowledge, they will conduct the most appropriate judgment and immediately and accordingly deal with them using appropriate procedures. The colleague in this case had correctly ejected from the plane to survive and minimized the damage once the plane was irretrievable. Therefore, the pilot did his best and what he did should be affirmed.

The Air Force Command further stated that the Air Force has set up an ad hoc task team and has requested the Taiwan Transportation Safety Board, the Civil Aeronautics Administration, and civil experts and scholars to assist in determining the actual situation. Currently, the entire case is still under investigation. As such, the Air Force calls on all walks of life to respect professionalism and not speculate arbitrarily, and it will continue to enhance the flight coefficient in order to safeguard the combat strength of the Air Force.