Turkey reports deadly F-16 crash near Balıkesir

A Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed soon after taking off from Balıkesir early Wednesday, and the pilot did not survive, Euronews reported.

The jet took off from the 9th Main Jet Base Command at about 1 a.m. local time. Turkey’s National Defence Ministry said it lost contact with the aircraft shortly after it left the ground.

Search and rescue teams later found the wreckage near the Istanbul-İzmir motorway with debris scattered across a wide area near the crash. The motorway was temporarily closed as security forces, firefighters and medical teams were dispatched to the scene.

The Defense Ministry said in a statement that the pilot, Air Force Major İbrahim Bolat, died in the crash, adding that an investigation is underway to find out what caused the accident and expressing condolences to Bolat’s family.

In November, Turkey grounded its C-130 cargo planes after one crashed in Georgia on its way back from Azerbaijan, resulting in the deaths of all 20 people on board.

Meanwhile, in Kazakhstan, the media reported that a Su-30SM fighter jet crashed in the Karaganda region. The pilots managed to eject from the plane and sustained only minor injuries. A similar incident involving a Su-30SM was reported in 2021 in the town of Balkhash.