Watch: Mid-Air Collision Between Philippine Air Force Trainer Aircraft Kills Four Pilots

Four pilots were killed when two Philippine Air Force SF-260 trainer aircraft crashed during a training flight at an air base south of Manila, prompting a fleet-wide grounding.

Post Published By: Pradeep Tripathi

Updated : 24 October 2026, 1:36 PM IST

Four Pilots Die As Philippine Military Aircraft Collide (Img: X, Video Grab)

Manila: Four pilots were killed after two Philippine Air Force trainer aircraft crashed during a training flight at an air base south of Manila, the military said on Saturday. A video of the incident showed the aircraft colliding mid-air.

The crash occurred on Friday at Fernando Air Base in Batangas province and involved two SF-260 aircraft, the Philippine Air Force said in a statement. Both planes came down within the air base premises.

SF-260 Fleet Grounded Pending Probe

No other casualties were reported in the incident, according to reports.

Following the crash, the Philippine Air Force temporarily grounded its entire fleet of SF-260 trainer aircraft while an investigation is conducted to establish the cause of the accident.

Philippine Air Force planes FLY DANGEROUSLY CLOSE before COLLIDING MID-AIR — BOTH SPIRAL OUT OF CONTROL & CRASH during TRAINING

4 AIR FORCE PILOTS KILLED https://t.co/fgqEdxJNM3

— RT (@RT_com) October 24, 2026

Previous Crashes Involving Same Aircraft

The latest accident comes months after another fatal crash involving the same type of aircraft in May. Two pilots were killed when an SF-260 went down in a mountainous area in the northern Philippines.

In 2023, another SF-260 TP Marchetti aircraft crashed during a training flight, killing two pilots.