Turkish F-16 crashes near Balıkesir during night mission, pilot killed

A Turkish F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training mission in the north-western province of Balıkesir, killing its pilot, officials said.

The aircraft, assigned to the 9th Main Jet Base Command in Balıkesir, took off shortly before 00:50 local time and lost contact minutes later, Caliber.Az reports per Turkish media.

Wreckage was later found by the roadside near the Karesi district, close to the Istanbul–Izmir motorway.

In a statement, the Turkish Ministry of National Defence said radio contact and radar tracking with the F-16 had been lost from 00:56 onwards.

“It has been determined that our aircraft crashed, and the wreckage has been reached. Our pilot has been martyred. The cause of the accident will be established following an investigation by the accident assessment team,” the ministry said.

Balıkesir Governor İsmail Ustaoğlu confirmed that the jet had been conducting a routine mission flight when it crashed shortly after take-off. Emergency services, including police, firefighters and medical teams, were dispatched to the scene following reports of the incident. The pilot’s body was recovered at the crash site, where debris was scattered over a wide area.

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said the Balıkesir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office had launched a formal investigation. The chief prosecutor, a deputy chief prosecutor and two public prosecutors were sent to the site to oversee inquiries, he added.

The Interior Ministry also confirmed that search and rescue operations had been initiated immediately after contact with the aircraft was lost, leading to the discovery of the wreckage.

By Aghakazim Guliyev