Four Philippine Air Force pilots killed as two trainer planes crash at base
Two SF-260 trainers came down at Fernando Air Base in Batangas on Friday. The air force has grounded the fleet while it investigates.
Four Philippine Air Force pilots were killed when two SF-260 trainer aircraft crashed during a training flight at an air base south of Manila on Friday (October 23). The military confirmed the deaths on Saturday.
The crash happened at Fernando Air Base in Batangas province, according to a Philippine Air Force statement reported by CNA and The Straits Times. Both aircraft came down inside the base grounds. No one else was hurt.
The Straits Times, which carried a Reuters report, said local media had reported that the two planes collided in mid-air. Neither outlet attributed that account to the air force, and CNA's report did not mention a collision.
The SF-260 has been involved in several fatal accidents. Both outlets reported that two pilots died in May when an SF-260 trainer crashed in a mountainous area in the northern Philippines. Another SF-260 TP Marchetti crashed during a training flight in 2023, also killing two pilots.
The aircraft has also seen combat. After militants loyal to Islamic State seized Marawi City in the south in 2017, the military used SF-260s in air strikes on the city that went on for months, the outlets reported.
The reports did not name the four pilots.
The air force has temporarily grounded its SF-260 trainer fleet while it investigates the cause of the crash. Neither CNA nor The Straits Times said how long the grounding would last or when the investigation is expected to finish.
Sources: CNA, Four pilots killed after two Philippine Air Force trainer planes crash; The Straits Times, Four Philippine Air Force pilots killed in training accident.
