Four Philippine Air Force pilots killed after aircraft crashes during training sortie at Manila air base
PTC News Desk: Four pilots were killed after two Philippine Air Force training aircraft crashed during a training flight at an air base south of Manila, the military said on Saturday.
The accident occurred on Friday at Fernando Air Base in Batangas province and involved two SF-260 aircraft. Local media reports said the planes collided in midair.
Both aircraft crashed within the air base premises. No other casualties were reported.
The Philippine Air Force has temporarily grounded its fleet of SF-260 trainer aircraft while an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash.
Philippine Air Force planes FLY DANGEROUSLY CLOSE before COLLIDING MID-AIR — BOTH SPIRAL OUT OF CONTROL & CRASH during TRAINING
4 AIR FORCE PILOTS KILLED https://t.co/fgqEdxJNM3
— RT (@RT_com) October 24, 2026
This is not the first fatal accident involving these aircraft. In May, two pilots were killed when an SF-260 trainer aircraft crashed in a mountainous area in the northern Philippines. Another SF-260 TP Marchetti aircraft crashed during a training flight in 2023, killing two pilots.
The military also used SF-260 aircraft during months of air strikes on Marawi City in the southern Philippines in 2017, after militants affiliated with the Islamic State group seized control of the area.
- PTC NEWS
