A Chinese female J-10 fighter pilot has been confirmed dead. Pilot Yu Xu was in an accident during a routine flight training on Saturday. Her death resulted from a failed parachute jump as her plane crashed somewhere in Yutian County, near the northern Chinese city of Tangshan.

This file photo shows Chinese female J-10 fighter pilot Yu Xu. Yu died in an accident during a routine flight training on Saturday, an Air Force spokesman said. (Xinhua/Shen Ling)

Born in 1986, Yu was from Chongzhou city in southwest China’s Sichuan province. She joined the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force in September 2005, and was serving as a flight squadron leader.

Yu was the first of four female pilots in China capable of flying the country’s third-generation J-10 jet fighter. She piloted a training plane in the military parade marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic in 2009.

Yu’s last public appearance was in the just-concluded Zhuhai Air Show. All PLA Air Force service members expressed deep regret and mourning at Yu’s unfortunate death.

This file photo shows Chinese female J-10 fighter pilot Yu Xu. Yu died in an accident during a routine flight training on Saturday, an Air Force spokesman said. (Xinhua/Shen Ling)