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Plane CrashesVersion 3

F-16 Crashes Near Yalova, Turkey, During Training Flight; Pilot Ejected

Turkey's defence ministry said the pilot bailed out safely before the August 12 crash and that the cause will be established after a detailed investigation.

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 12, 2026, 9:12 a.m. ETUpdated Aug 17, 2026, 7:50 a.m. ET
Developing · checked 3h ago

This is a developing story. Details reported early are provisional and are frequently revised. Where sources disagree, both readings are given.

We last searched for new coverage of this at Aug 18, 2026, 6:07 a.m. ET — checked 3h ago.

An crashed near , , on August 12, 2026, during a training flight, according to reporting by the Mirror, Azernews, Kashmir Life and the Chinese state news agency Xinhua. Accounts of the aircraft's assignment differ: Azernews, Kashmir Life and Xinhua described it as a aircraft, while the Mirror reported it was assigned to . The Mirror reported the jet went down near the 18th Main Jet Base in Taşköprü town, in the Çiftlikköy district of , in the phase of flight; Kashmir Life did not report the phase of flight. Azernews reported the aircraft went down near the 18th Air Base of the . 's defence ministry said the pilot safely bailed out before the crash, as reported by Azernews, Xinhua and Kashmir Life, and the ministry said the was taking part in a routine training mission, according to the Mirror. Aircrew ejected and are said to have parachuted to the ground, though their exact condition remains unclear, the Mirror reported; Azernews reported that, according to preliminary information, the pilot ejected. Governor Dr. Ahmet Hamdi Usta confirmed the accident occurred during a training flight and that the pilot survived, the Mirror reported. The outlets reported that ambulances, medical rescue teams and firefighters were dispatched to the crash site. Turkish news channel NTV aired live footage showing a fireball and thick black smoke rising from the wreckage, visible from several locations across province, according to the Mirror and Xinhua. The cause has not been determined. 's Ministry of National Defense (MSB) said the exact cause would be established after a detailed investigation, according to the Mirror, Xinhua and Kashmir Life. Azernews did not report a cause. The aircraft involved has not been identified; registry records list 35 aircraft under the . Geographic reference data places in 's Marmara Region, with the settlement itself at an elevation of 1,030 feet and Air Base (LTBP) about 13 miles to the southwest. That data locates the town, not the crash site.

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Reference data

From aircraft and geographic registries, not from the news sources. Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.

Terrain elevation
1,030 ft
Nearest aerodrome
13 miles SW of Yalova Air Base (LTBP)

Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 317 Aug 2026, 11:50current

    Added Xinhua and Kashmir Life reporting: defence ministry statement that the pilot safely bailed out, NTV footage of the fire, broader attribution of the investigation statement, and a note that the aircraft has not been identified alongside the operator's registry fleet count.

  2. Version 212 Aug 2026, 14:28

    Added Azernews reporting: conflicting description of the operator, the 18th Air Base location, and preliminary information that the pilot ejected.

  3. Version 112 Aug 2026, 13:23

    First published.

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