Four pilots of the Philippine Air Force (PAF, for its acronym in English) have lost their lives when two SF-260 training planes crashed during maneuvers at Fernando Air Base, in the city of Lipa, Batangas province, in the south of the country.
The incident occurred around 15:51 hours (local time) this Friday, within the perimeter of the military installation. The Air Force has specified that no more victims have been recorded and that, for the moment, the exact causes of the double impact are unknown. The identity of the four deceased and the number of occupants traveling in each aircraft have not yet been made public.
"An investigation has been initiated to determine the cause of the accident, while all SF-260 aircraft have been temporarily immobilized as a precautionary measure," the institution stated in a statement released this Saturday on social media.
The PAF spokesperson, Colonel Alvin Jay Capinguian, had previously indicated that two aircraft had been involved in an incident during a training flight. Following the crash, emergency protocols were immediately activated, and teams were sent to the site to secure the area and carry out the first evacuations. "Our main priority remains the safety and well-being of the personnel involved, as well as of the people who are in the vicinity of the incident," the Air Force representative declared at that time.
The military institution has begun to contact the families of the deceased pilots to offer them support and assistance, and has requested that their privacy be respected during the mourning period, at the express request of the families themselves. In addition, it has paid tribute to the four military personnel and has highlighted "the service and sacrifice of the fallen aviators."
This new accident occurs five months after another fatal incident involving an SF-260. On May 20, First Lieutenant Ruth Angelique Pasos, flight instructor, and Second Lieutenant Cherky Embudo, aviation student, died when an aircraft crashed during a navigation exercise in Tuba, in Benguet province. Following that event, the Air Force temporarily grounded the 16 training aircraft of this model that were still operational, interrupting the final phase of military pilot training.
The SF-260 is a light aircraft used for the training of aviators. The new suspension of its flights will remain in effect while the investigations into the two accidents recorded in Batangas progress.