Turkish F-16 crashes after pilot ejects safely

On Wednesday, an F-16 fighter jet from Turkey's air force experienced a crash during a training exercise near Yalova, a city situated southeast of Istanbul on the shores of the Sea of Marmara. The incident occurred while the aircraft was engaged in a training flight, according to a statement from the defence ministry.

Remarkably, the pilot managed to eject safely, preventing any casualties. Rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the crash site, which was reported to have been near an air base. CCTV footage captured the plane plummeting through the air at a low altitude, vanishing behind trees and leaving behind a cloud of thick black smoke.

The NTV channel, a private news outlet, reported that the plane crash-landed close to an air base, with multiple rescue teams being deployed to the scene. The pilot was subsequently taken to a hospital for treatment.

This incident is not the first crash involving a Turkish F-16 in recent times. Six months ago, another F-16 fighter jet crashed near the Bulgarian border during an alert-response mission, resulting in the death of the pilot. In November, Turkey had suspended flights of its C-130 cargo planes after one crashed in Georgia while returning from Azerbaijan, tragically resulting in the loss of all 20 individuals on board.