A Pakistan Air Force trainer aircraft crashed near Mardan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday during a routine training sortie, resulting in the martyrdom of both pilots on board, the military’s media wing has confirmed.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that Flight Lieutenant Muhammad Qasim Abdullah of the Pakistan Air Force and Lieutenant Taha Abbasi of the Pakistan Navy were on a scheduled training flight when the aircraft went down.
The statement confirmed that both officers embraced martyrdom in the incident.
“A board of inquiry has been constituted by Air Headquarters to ascertain the cause of the accident,” the ISPR said.
Military leadership, including Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir along with other services chiefs, expressed deep grief over the loss.
They extended condolences to the families of the martyred officers.
The incident comes days after another military aviation accident in which a helicopter crashed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, martyring at least 22 personnel during a mission, security sources had said.
