Four Philippine Air Force pilots die as two SF-260 trainers go down at Fernando Air Base

The Philippine Air Force said on 24 October that four of its pilots were killed when two SF-260 trainer aircraft went down during a training flight at Fernando Air Base in Lipa City, Batangas province, the previous afternoon. Both aircraft came down inside the perimeter of the base, and the air force said no one else was killed or hurt.

According to the air force, the accident happened at 3.51 pm local time on 23 October. Daily Tribune and the radio network DZRH both reported that the two trainers collided in midair before crashing. The air force statement carried by The Manila Times spoke of two crashes and did not say how they happened, while a wire report published by Hindustan Times attributed the midair collision account to local media.

DZRH reported that the two aircraft carried the tail numbers 032 and 037. It said the four aircrew on board were two first lieutenants, a captain and a major, and that other aircraft taking part in the same training activity landed safely. The air force has not released the names of the dead, and The Manila Times noted that it also did not say how many people were on each aircraft.

All SF-260 aircraft in the fleet have been grounded for the time being as a precaution while an investigation into the cause of the accident goes on, the air force said. It added that it was working with the families of the four pilots to give them the help they need, and that the families had asked the public to respect their privacy while they mourn.

Air force spokesperson Colonel Alvin Jay Capinguian told Daily Tribune that response teams were sent out as soon as the accident happened to secure the area and assess the situation. He said the service's first concern was the safety and welfare of the personnel involved and of people near the crash site. The air force also paid tribute to the four aviators and their service.

This is the second deadly SF-260 accident of the year. Hindustan Times reported that two pilots died in May when an SF-260 trainer crashed in a mountainous area of the northern Philippines, and that another aircraft of the type, an SF-260TP, crashed during a training flight in 2023, also killing two pilots.

The SF-260 is a small propeller aircraft that the Philippine Air Force uses to train military pilots, and the type has also seen combat use. The same report said the military used SF-260 aircraft during the months of air strikes on Marawi City in 2017, after militants loyal to the Islamic State group seized the southern city.

Several questions remain open. The air force has not said what caused the accident, whether the trainers touched each other in the air, how long the grounding will last or how the training of student pilots will continue while the fleet stays on the ground. The investigation is still under way.