The Philippine military issued a statement on October 24, stating that during a training flight at the Fernando Air Base in Lipa City, Batang Pier Province, Luzon Island, two trainer aircraft collided and crashed, resulting in the death of four Filipino Air Force pilots.
A Philippine Air Force spokesman said that the incident occurred at 3:51 PM local time on the 23rd, involving two Italian-made SF-260 trainer aircraft. Both aircraft crashed within the base’s area during a flight practice.
On the afternoon of March 23rd at 3:51 PM, during a training flight at Fernandina Air Force Base, two SF-260 aircraft suffered an accident, resulting in the deaths of four pilots. The Philippine Air Force expresses condolences on this incident.
At the request of the family, the pilot’s identity information was not made public. The Philippine side stated that they will provide necessary assistance to the survivors.
The Philippine Air Force stated that there were no other reports of casualties.
The Philippine side stated that after the incident, the Air Force immediately took emergency response measures and dispatched teams to seal off the scene for a preliminary assessment. While investigators are working to determine the cause of the accident, all 16 SF-260 aircraft of the Air Force have been grounded temporarily as a precaution.
SF-260 Data Diagram
In recent years, there have been several plane crashes involving the Philippine Air Force, most of which involved SF-260 trainer aircraft.
For example, in May this year, an SF-260 trainer crashed in the mountainous regions of northern Philippines, resulting in the death of two pilots. In 2023, another SF-260 crashed during a training flight, also causing the death of two pilots.
Filipine media reported that the SF-260 is a military trainer aircraft used by the country's air force for training and assessing pilots in performing more advanced flight tasks.
According to the introduction, the SF-260 is an Italian trainer aircraft that made its first flight in 1964. In the 1970s, the Philippines introduced this aircraft in large numbers. It was used for basic pilot training and also carried out light attack missions during operations such as the Malawi Campaign.
But in recent years, the SF-260 model has had frequent accidents in the Philippines, especially during the training phase.
