A Turkish F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight in northwestern Turkey, with the pilot managing to eject safely before the aircraft went down on Wednesday, August 12, in Yalova province near the 18th Air Base.
Turkey’s Ministry of National Defense confirmed that one of the Turkish Air Force’s F-16 aircraft crashed during a training flight, adding that the pilot successfully ejected from the fighter jet.
Local reports showed black smoke rising from the crash site, while videos circulating on social media appeared to show flames burning in a rural area following the incident.
Emergency teams were quickly sent to the crash site after the aircraft went down. No other injuries have been reported so far.
The exact reason behind the crash remains under investigation. Authorities are expected to examine the wreckage along with flight data as part of an investigation into what went wrong.
The incident comes months after another Turkish F-16 crashed in western Turkey in February, killing its pilot. That aircraft went down shortly after taking off from Balikesir after radio and radar contact was lost.
For now, the biggest relief for Turkish authorities is that Wednesday’s crash did not result in the loss of the pilot’s life, after the airman managed to eject from the aircraft before it crashed.
The investigation will now determine what caused the F-16 to go down during the training exercise.
