TAIPEI (AFP) - A Taiwanese fighter jet ploughed into the sea off the island's north coast on Monday, the air force's second crash in less than a week, military officials said.

The crash happened when the French-made Mirage 2000-5 fighter was conducting a regular training mission, the air force said, adding that both crew managed to parachute to safety.

The cause of the incident was under investigation, it said.

A single-seater F-16 went down off central Taiwan on Wednesday last week due to mechanical failure. The pilot managed to parachute to safety.