Four PH Air Force pilots killed in Batangas training accident

MANILA- 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, the Philippine Air Force said in a statement.

Media outlets 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 the Islamic State seized the area in 2017.

Reporting by Nestor Corrales; Editing by Tom Hogue/Reuters