Four Philippine Air Force Pilots Killed in Mid-Air Training Crash
Four military pilots were killed when two Philippine Air Force SF-260 training aircraft collided and crashed during a routine flight south of Manila.
Four military pilots were killed on Friday when two Philippine Air Force training aircraft crashed during a routine exercise at an air base south of the capital, Manila. According to the military, the incident involved two SF-260 turboprop planes operating at the Fernando Air Base in Lipa City, Batangas province.
Local media reported that the two aircraft collided in mid-air before plunging into the base grounds. No ground casualties were reported. Following the tragedy, the Philippine Air Force temporarily grounded its entire fleet of SF-260 aircraft pending a full investigation into the cause of the collision.
Air Force spokesperson Colonel Alvin Jason Capingian stated that emergency response teams were immediately deployed to secure the site and assess the situation. "Our top priority remains the safety and well-being of the personnel involved, as well as those near the incident scene," he noted.
The Philippine military has utilized SF-260 aircraft extensively, including during months of airstrikes in Marawi in 2017 after militants aligned with ISIS seized the southern city. Aviation safety concerns have persisted following previous incidents, including a May crash of an SF-260 trainer in a northern mountainous region that killed two pilots, and another fatal crash involving the same aircraft model in 2023.
