Two Pilots from the Philippine Air Force Died in a Fighter Jet Accident

Two pilots from the Philippine Air Force lost their lives when their plane crashed in a southern region while they were conducting an anti-insurgency mission.

According to military sources on Wednesday, two pilots from the Philippine Air Force died after their FA-50 fighter jet crashed while they were conducting an anti-insurgency operation in the southern province of Bukidnon.

On March 4, just after midnight, the jet lost communication with other planes in the mission, which prompted a search and rescue effort. The remains of the two pilots and the debris were found in the Mindanao region’s Kalatungan highlands.

“The crash site confirmed the aircraft went down, and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the accident,” said Air Force spokesperson Consuelo Castillo. As a result, the military has taken the precaution of grounding the 11 FA-50 aircraft that are still in its service.

In 2014, the Philippines bought 12 FA-50 fighter planes from South Korea as part of a military modernization effort to improve marine defense and national security, especially in the South China Sea.

Castillo stressed that in order to minimize operational delays, efforts would be taken to get the jets back into service as quickly as possible despite the grounding.