The Turkish Ministry of National Defense announced on Wednesday that an F-16 fighter jet had crashed in Balikesir province, located in the northwest of the country, and its pilot was killed.
The Ministry stated – in a statement reported by the Turkish channel “TRT” in its English version – that radio contact and tracking information with the plane was lost after it took off from the command of the ninth air base in Balikesir at approximately 12:56 am today, local time in Turkey.
Noting that search and rescue operations were launched immediately, and the wreckage was later found.
The Ministry added that the accident resulted in the death of the pilot, expressing its condolences to his family, and confirmed that the cause of the accident will be determined through investigations that will be conducted by a specialized team.
For his part, Ismail Ustaoglu, Governor of Balikesir, expressed his condolences to the pilot’s family.
