Turkish F-16 crashed while investigating radar signal: defence ministry

ANKARA: A Turkish F-16 fighter jet that crashed shortly after takeoff had been scrambled to investigate an unidentified radar signal along the Bulgarian border, the defence ministry said Thursday.

During the incident, which took place very early on Wednesday, the pilot tried to eject at the last minute but lost his life in the crash, the ministry said.

“On 25 February, after an unidentified radar track was detected on our border with Bulgaria, two F?16 fighter jets took off from… Balikesir on an alert response mission,” it said of a city 200 kilometres (120 miles) northeast of the coastal city of Izmir.

Unidentified radar tracks are picked up by air traffic surveillance systems and can be caused by a range of issues, from weather conditions to a flock of birds, stray weather balloons or drones.

“Radio communication and radar contact with one of the aircraf t was lost at 00:56 am (2156 GMT on Tuesday),” it added.

READ MORE: Turkiye suspends C-130 flights after fatal plane crash

Although the pilot had “activated the ejection system at the very last moment in an attempt to abandon the aircraft”, he died in the crash, it said, without giving further details.

The wreckage of the F-16 – a block 50 1993 model – was found during search and rescue operations, with the cause of the incident “to be clarified after a detailed examination by the crash investigation team”, it added.

In November, Turkiye suspended flights by its C-130 cargo planes after one crashed in Georgia while returning from Azerbaijan, killing all 20 on board.

Other F-16s, manufactured by US firm Lockheed Martin, have crashed in recent months.

In January, a Taiwanese F-16 crashed into the sea during a routine mission, with its pilot, who ejected, reported missing.

Last August, another F-16 crashed in Poland while rehearsing for an air show, killing its pilot.