TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A Mirage 2000 fighter jet failed to take off from Ching Chuan Kang Air Base in Taichung on Thursday, according to the Air Force.

The pilot was not injured and the plane was not damaged in the incident, per CNA. The Air Force said mechanical failure was why the aircraft did not conduct a regular round of training.

While the jets were based in Hsinchu, last year the Air Force started a program to rotate them to Ching Chuan Kang, per UDN. The frequent incursions by Chinese jets into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone have taken their toll on fighter jets, said military experts.

In September, a Mirage crashed into the sea near Hsinchu after the pilot ejected safely. A loss of engine power was seen as the cause of the crash. 

Taiwan procured 60 Mirage jets from France in 1992 and commissioned them in 1997. Eight aircraft have been lost in accidents.