ANKARA: A Turkish F-16 fighter jet crashed in western Balikesir Province on Wednesday, killing the pilot, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense said.
Radio contact and tracking data were lost with the aircraft shortly after it took off from the 9th Main Jet Base Command in Balikesir at 12:56 a.m. local time (2156 GMT Tuesday), the ministry said in a statement.
Search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched, and the wreckage was later located, the statement added.
“Our pilot was martyred. The cause of the accident will be determined following an investigation by the crash examination team,” the ministry said, offering condolences to the pilot’s family.
Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said the Balikesir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an official investigation into the crash.
Gurlek added that the chief public prosecutor, a deputy chief public prosecutor, and two public prosecutors have arrived at the crash site to oversee the inquiry.
F-16 Wreckage
Wreckage from the crash was scattered over a wide area near the Istanbul–İzmir motorway, Turkish media reported.
The pilot, Air Force Major Ibrahim Bolat, was killed in the crash
“We pray to God for mercy upon our martyred pilot and offer our condolences to his family, the Turkish Armed Forces, and our noble nation,” the Turkish Ministry of National Defense said in a post on X.
Türkiye has operated the Turkish Air Force F-16 fleet since the early 1980s and maintains more than 230 aircraft, according to Lockheed Martin. Only the United States Air Force operates a larger fleet of fighter jets.
The Turkish Air Force and Lockheed Martin have collaborated on joint ventures and upgrade programs, including the F-16 Block 70 and F-16V modernization packages.
