Turkish F-16 crashes during training flight

A Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed in Yalova province in northwestern Turkey, with no fatalities reported, the Turkish Defence Ministry announced, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

“A Turkish Air Force F-16 aircraft crashed in Yalova during a training flight. The pilot ejected and survived,” the ministry said in a statement.

“The cause of the accident will be determined following a thorough investigation,” the ministry added, without providing information about possible damage at the crash site, located southeast of Istanbul near the Sea of Marmara.

Footage of the crash released by the Turkish private news agency IHA shows an explosion followed by two thick, distinct columns of smoke — one white and the other black — in an area that appears to have no residential buildings.

According to Turkish private broadcaster NTV, the aircraft crashed near an air base.

The pilot was taken to hospital, while several emergency response teams were dispatched to the crash site, the broadcaster reported.

A Turkish Air Force F-16 also crashed in western Turkey in February; the pilot did not survive that incident, AFP recalls.

Photo: Chat GPT