Two pilots martyred in PAF training aircraft crash in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: Two pilots were martyred when a training aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force crash-landed at the Peshawar Air Base here on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the PAF in a statement issued to the media said that the FT-7PG trainer aircraft of 17 Squadron crash-landed at the airbase after returning from a routine operational training mission.

"The Pakistan Air Force reports with regret that a PAF FT-7PG trainer aircraft while recovering from a routine operational training mission crashed during landing at the Peshawar Air Base. The PAF spokesperson said the Air Headquarters has ordered an inquiry to ascertain the real cause of the incident.

The aircraft crash-landed around 11:35am near the customs landing runway. "We heard an unusual sound of the plane engine before the aircraft crash-landed on the runway," said an official of the Airport Security Force (ASF).

"The aircraft caught fire as it touched the ground. The staff, vehicles of the fire brigade and ambulances rushed towards the site of the incident to extinguish the fire and rescue the pilots," an official of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said. "I can see the flames and smoke rising from the burning aircraft on the runway," he added. The martyred pilots were identified as Wing Commander Umar and Flying Officer Israr.