Four Philippine Air Force pilots killed in training accident

Two Philippine Air Force trainer aircraft crashed during a training flight ​at an air base south of ‌the capital Manila, killing four pilots, the military said on Saturday. The aviation accident on ​Friday involved two SF-260 aircraft during ​a training flight at the Fernando Air ⁠Base in Batangas province, the Philippine ​Air Force said in a statement. Local ​media has reported the two planes collided in midair. The aircraft crashed within the grounds of the ​air base but there were no ​other casualties. The Air Force has temporarily grounded its fleet ‌of ⁠SF-260 trainer planes pending an investigation into the cause of the accident. In May, two pilots were killed when an ​SF-260 trainer ​aircraft crashed ⁠in a mountainous area in northern Philippines, while another SF-260 ​TP Marchetti crashed during a 2023 ​training ⁠flight, also killing two pilots. The military used SF-260 aircraft during months of air strikes ⁠on ​southern Marawi City after militants ​loyal to Islamic State seized the area in 2017.