Four Pilots Killed as Two Philippine Air Force Trainer Planes Collide Mid-Air

Four pilots have died after two Philippine Air Force trainer aircraft collided in mid-air during a training flight south of Manila, the military confirmed on Saturday. The two Italian-made Marchetti SF-260 aircraft went down at Fernando Air Base in Lipa City, Batangas province, on Friday afternoon at around 3:51 pm, crashing inside the base perimeter. No one on the ground was hurt.
The Air Force said both planes were taking part in a training flight when the accident happened. Local media reported that the two aircraft struck each other in the air before falling to the ground, though officials have not yet confirmed the exact cause. The names of the four pilots have been withheld at their families' request, and response teams were sent to secure the crash site immediately.
As a precaution, the Air Force has grounded its entire remaining fleet of SF-260 trainers while investigators work out what went wrong. It is the third fatal accident involving the aircraft type in recent years: two pilots died in a crash in the north of the country in May, and another two were killed in a training flight in 2023. The SF-260 has long served as the Philippines' basic trainer, and the same aircraft were used in air strikes during the 2017 battle for Marawi City.
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