Four Philippine Air Force Pilots Killed as Training Planes Collide

Two Philippine Air Force SF-260 aircraft were taking part in a training flight at Fernando Air Base in Batangas province on Friday, October 23. The base is south of Manila, according to World News CNA, which cited an Air Force statement.

The aircraft were single propeller planes, NDTV News reported. Although some headlines described them as jets, the coverage identifies them as SF-260 trainers.

The aircraft crashed on Friday afternoon during the training flight, according to NDTV News.

Footage showed the two planes colliding while flying low over Fernando Air Base, the Daily Mail reported. The supplied coverage does not establish what caused them to collide.

Four pilots were killed. The military reported the deaths on Saturday, October 24, according to the South China Morning Post.

Following the crash, the Air Force temporarily grounded its SF-260 trainer fleet pending an investigation into the cause, News18 reported.

The fleet grounding is the immediate operational consequence of the crash. News18 described the measure as temporary and linked it to the investigation.

The supplied reports do not establish a cause or give a timetable for the aircraft to return to service.

The next substantive development will be findings from the crash investigation. The cause of the collision and the conditions for lifting the fleet grounding remain unresolved in the available coverage, which News18 says links the suspension to the inquiry.