LIPA CITY, Philippines — Four Philippine Air Force pilots were killed when two SF-260 training aircraft collided during a training flight over Fernando Air Base in Batangas province on Friday afternoon, the military said, according to The Associated Press and GMA News.
The mishap happened at about 3:51 p.m. local time on Friday, Oct. 23, and both aircraft went down inside the base in Lipa City, Air Force spokesperson Col. Alvin Jay Capinguian said, GMA reported. The Air Force has grounded its SF-260 fleet while the cause is investigated.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said the investigation would cover flight planning, training, maintenance and command leadership, describing “four fatalities and two aircraft that were totally destroyed,” the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.
The SF-260 is a two-seat propeller aircraft the Air Force uses for pilot training.
Sources: The Associated Press, GMA News, Philippine Daily Inquirer
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