A Turkish F-16 fighter jet crashed early Wednesday in Balıkesir Province in western Turkey, killing the pilot, the country’s National Defense Ministry said.
The ministry stated that radio contact and tracking information were lost with the aircraft after it took off from the 9th Main Jet Base Command in Balıkesir at 12:56 a.m. local time (2156 GMT Tuesday). Search and rescue operations were immediately launched, and the wreckage was later located.
“Our pilot was martyred. The cause of the accident will be determined following an investigation by the crash examination team,” the ministry said.
