Four Philippine Air Force pilots killed in training accident

Two Philippine Air Force trainer aircraft crashed during a training flight at an air base south of the capital Manila, killing four pilots, the military said on Saturday.

The aviation accident on Friday involved two SF-260 aircraft during a training flight at the Fernando Air Base in Batangas province, the Philippine Air Force said in a statement

Local media has reported the two planes collided in midair.


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The aircraft crashed within the grounds of the air base but there were no other casualties

The Air Force has temporarily grounded its fleet of SF-260 trainer planes pending an investigation into the cause of the accident

In May, two pilots were killed when an SF-260 trainer aircraft crashed in a mountainous area in northern Philippines, while another SF-260 TP Marchetti crashed during a 2023 training flight, also killing two pilots

The military used SF-260 aircraft during months of air strikes on southern Marawi City after militants loyal to Islamic State seized the area in 2017