2 aircraft collide mid-air during training in Philippines, 4 pilots killed
Collected Photo
The SF-260 single propeller aircraft went down at Fernando Air Base, south of Manila, on Friday afternoon.
Two military aircraft collided mid-air during training at an air base in the Philippines, killing four pilots, the air force said Saturday, reports NDTV.
The SF-260 single propeller planes crashed at Fernando Air Base, south of Manila, on Friday afternoon.
"Both aircraft went down within the base perimeter, with no other casualties reported," Philippine Air Force spokesman Colonel Alvin Capinguian said in a statement.
An investigation was launched to determine the cause of the accident, and Capinguian said the air force's fleet of SF-260s has been temporarily grounded as a precaution.
There have been several deadly crashes involving Philippine military aircraft in recent years.
In May, two military pilots were killed when another SF-260 plane crashed during a training flight in Benguet province in the northern Philippines.
An Emirates web portal (Voice of Emirates) said, a decision has been made to ground the fleet and launch urgent investigations.
Following the tragedy, the Philippine Air Force leadership promptly decided to temporarily ground its fleet of SF-260 training aircraft across all bases. This measure will remain in effect pending the completion of a thorough investigation into the circumstances of the collision, as well as the technical or operational factors that may have contributed to it.
