Four Philippines Air Force pilots killed in training accident

Two Philippines Air Force trainer aircraft crashed during a training flight at an airbase south of the capital, Manila, killing four pilots, the military said on Saturday.

The accident on Friday involved two SF-260 aircraft during a training flight at the Fernando Airbase in Batangas province, the Philippines Air Force said.

The aircraft crashed within the grounds of the airbase, but there were no other casualties.

The air force has temporarily grounded its fleet of SF-260 trainer aeroplanes pending an investigation into the cause of the crash.

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.