NOWSHERA: Two Pakistan Air Force (PAF) light aircraft collided mid-air on Thursday, killing four pilots on a routine training mission IN Rashkai area of Nowshera, police said.
It was the sixth PAF crash in seven months and the second in a week, raising concerns over the safety of its largely Chinese and locally made fleet.
The cause of the accident was not immediately clear.
One of the two-seater propeller Mushshak planes crashed on a house, injuring a girl and an elderly man, and the second fell in nearby fields in Rashkai, 160 kilometres (100 miles) northwest of the capital. The injured were shifted to the hospital with the help of local residents, police told.
"Two PAF trainer aircraft collided mid-air. Four pilots were killed, two were trainee pilots and two were instructors," district police officer Mohammad Hussain said.
"One of the aircraft crashed over a house, injuring a girl and an elderly man, and the second plane crashed in the fields."
Last Friday, a fighter jet crashed near the southwestern town of Sonmiani but the pilot managed to eject safely.
The Pakistan Air Force has a fleet of Chinese aircraft including F-7PGs and A-5s, plus US-built F-16s and French Mirages. It recently acquired medium-tech JF-17, or Thunder jets, manufactured jointly by China and Pakistan.
APP adds: Two Mushshak aircraft of Pakistan Air Force (PAF), while on a routine training mission, crashed near Rashakai, Risalpur.
According to a PAF Spokesman, four pilots embraced Shahadat. A board of inquiry has been ordered to determine the cause of accident.
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