Two military planes collide in the Philippines, killing four pilots

In the Philippines, two SF-260 military aircraft collided during a training flight and crashed at an air base near the city of Lipa on October 23. The crash killed all four pilots on board, and flights of this type of aircraft were temporarily suspended.

This is reported by the Associated Press .

The accident occurred near Fernando Air Base in Lipa City, Batangas Province, south of the capital Manila. The planes collided at low altitude and crashed into the military facility.

The Philippine Air Force called the incident an air accident but did not release details. Two Philippine officials familiar with the situation confirmed that the planes collided in mid-air.

According to an eyewitness, one of the planes crashed near military barracks. There were no other casualties in the accident.

Following the crash, the Philippine Air Force temporarily grounded all remaining SF-260 aircraft, which were training aircraft purchased from Italy.

The cause of the crash is to be determined by an investigation. The military did not say how many SF-260 aircraft are currently in service.

This is not the first fatal accident involving this type of aircraft in the Philippines in recent years. In May 2026, an SF-260 crashed during a navigation training flight in the mountainous province of Benguet, killing two pilots.

In 2023, another SF-260 aircraft crashed into a rice field in Bataan Province, killing 2 crew members.