A Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter aircraft has crashed near a highway in western Turkey shortly after taking off for a mission, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense.
The incident occurred after the jet’s departure from the 9th Main Jet Base in Balikesir province.
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Authorities reported losing radio and radar contact with the aircraft soon after takeoff. Search and rescue teams located the wreckage following immediate deployment to the area.
Wreckage from the crash was dispersed over a large area near the Istanbul-İzmir motorway, according to Turkish media reports.
The pilot, Air Force Major İbrahim Bolat, died 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 Ministry of Defense said in a post on X.
According to the Ministry, an investigation has been initiated by the accident investigation team to determine the cause of the accident.
Türkiye has operated the F-16 fighter jet since the early 1980s and maintains a fleet of more than 230 aircraft, according to Lockheed Martin’s website. Only the US Air Force operates a larger fleet of F-16s.
The Turkish Air Force and Lockheed Martin have collaborated on joint ventures and upgrade programs such as the F-16 Block 70 and F-16V packages.
In related incidents, a Polish Air Force F-16 from the 31st Tactical Air Base crashed fatally during training for the Airshow Radom 2025 on 28 August 2025, resulting in the death of Major Maciej Krakowian.
In May 2024, a Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) F-16 fighter jet crashed at Tengah Air Base in Singapore. An investigation released on 19 June the same year concluded that failure in two of four pitch rate gyroscopes led to that incident.
