Pakistan Air Force Crash: Two Pilots Killed in Second Accident in Five Days

A Pakistan Air Force trainer aircraft crashed Monday near Mardan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing both pilots on board. The military said the aircraft was on a routine training sortie. Flight Lieutenant Muhammad Qasim Abdullah of the PAF and Lieutenant Taha Abbasi of the Pakistan Navy died in the accident.

Islamabad's Air Headquarters has formed a board of inquiry to determine the cause. The crash comes five days after an Mi-17 helicopter of the Pakistan Army Aviation went down near Muzaffarabad on June 10 due to a technical fault during takeoff, according to the military's media wing. No casualties were reported in that incident.

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued separate statements expressing condolences. Zardari called the pilots martyrs and said Islamabad would always remember their sacrifices. Sharif praised the professionalism of the armed forces and prayed for the families to bear the loss with courage.

The back-to-back accidents raise questions about aviation safety within Pakistan's military. The board of inquiry's findings will be the first concrete marker for whether maintenance protocols or training procedures need revision. A third incident in the coming weeks would amplify scrutiny on fleet readiness and pilot training standards.

For now, the focus remains on the investigation. The military has not disclosed the type of trainer aircraft involved or whether the crash site has been secured. More details are expected once the board completes its preliminary report.