F-16 fighter jet crashes in Balıkesir: Our pilot has been martyred

Balıkesir Governor İsmail Ustaoğlu announced that one pilot was martyred after an F-16 jet belonging to the 9th Main Jet Base Command fleet crashed.

PILOT MARTYRED

In a statement on his social media account, Ustaoğlu indicated that the F-16 jet belonging to the Balıkesir 9th Main Jet Base Command fleet crashed at approximately 00:50 during a training flight.

Governor Ustaoğlu stated, "One of our pilots has been martyred. I pray for God's mercy upon our martyr and extend my condolences to his loved ones. May our noble nation be comforted."

The moment the F-16 fighter jet crashed in Balıkesir has emergedhttps://t.co/rpNTuc6Tfy pic.twitter.com/V4HqreyYB5

— 12punto (@12puntocomtr) February 25, 2026

STATEMENT FROM THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE REGARDING THE CRASHED JET

The following statement was made by the Ministry of National Defense's official account regarding the crashed F-16:

Radio contact and tracking data for one of our F-16 jets, which took off from the 9th Main Jet Base Command in Balıkesir, were lost as of 00:56.

As a result of the search and rescue operations immediately initiated, it was determined that our jet had crashed, and the wreckage of our aircraft has been reached.

Our pilot has been martyred. The cause of the accident will be determined following the investigations to be conducted by the accident investigation team.

We pray for God's mercy upon our martyred pilot and extend our condolences to his family, our Turkish Armed Forces, and our noble nation.

First images of the crashed F-16 jethttps://t.co/rpNTuc6Tfy pic.twitter.com/ASTlhMcrYW

— 12punto (@12puntocomtr) February 25, 2026

MINISTER GÜRLEK: INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED

Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek announced that an investigation has been launched by the Balıkesir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the F-16 that crashed in Balıkesir.

In a post on his social media account, Minister of Justice Gürlek stated, "Our F-16 jet, belonging to the Balıkesir 9th Main Jet Base Command fleet, crashed during a mission flight, and one of our heroic pilots has been martyred. Our Balıkesir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation into the incident, and our Chief Public Prosecutor, our Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor, and two Public Prosecutors have arrived at the scene of the accident. I pray for God's mercy upon our martyr and extend my condolences to his grieving family and loved ones. I wish patience and fortitude to our Turkish Armed Forces. May our noble nation be comforted."

News Source: 12punto