TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Mirage 2000 jet lost two external fuel tanks during regular drills, reports said Wednesday (Feb. 22).

The French-made fighter jet was taxiing on the runway at Hsinchu Air Base preparing for takeoff Tuesday (Feb. 21) when the fuel tanks fell from under the wings, the Liberty Times reported.

The Air Force launched an investigation to find out the cause of the mishap, during which nobody was injured. Speculation centered on either the pilot touching a button by accident or a mistake during maintenance work on the plane.

According to the Air Force, France had improved its support work for the planes by upgrading the supply of parts and technical repair services since 2021. During annual training last year, the Mirage 2000 team outperformed its rival F-16 and IDF teams, per the Liberty Times. Taiwan bought 60 Mirages in 1992, but lost six of the jets to accidents.