MANILA, Oct 24 (Reuters) – 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
• 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
(Reporting by Nestor Corrales; Editing by Tom Hogue)
