U.S. spy plane down

Hwasung, South Korea

An American U-2 spy plane crashed into a house in South Korea this week, slightly injuring four Koreans who were in the building; the pilot ejected safely. Air Force officials promised to pay for medical bills and property damage. U-2s, which patrol South Korea around the clock, fly at altitudes above 70,000 feet and are notoriously difficult to handle. Only about 50 U.S. pilots are qualified to fly them. U-2s have crashed in South Korea twice in the past, in 1984 and 1992.