Two pilot instructors were killed in Bulgaria after a training aircraft crashed

Two pilot instructors lost their lives when a two-seater aircraft crashed during a training flight in Bulgaria on Friday, just before a military air exhibition planned for the next day, according to the prime minister.

Dimitar Glavchev, the acting Prime Minister, arrived at the crash site located at the Graf Ignatievo air base in central Bulgaria.

The accident took place around 12:30 (0930 GMT) and resulted in the death of two pilot instructors, according to Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov.

In a statement, the defence ministry revealed that the aircraft involved was an L-39ZA advanced training aircraft.

Following the cancellation of the international air show scheduled to commemorate Bulgaria’s 20th anniversary of joining NATO on Saturday, the ministry announced that an inquiry into the incident is already underway.

Earlier on Friday, Rumen Radev, the former head of the Bulgarian Air Force and President of Bulgaria, piloted an F-16 jet at the same air complex.