Two Philippine Air Force trainer planes crash at Lipa air base, killing all four pilots

Two Philippine Air Force SF-260 trainer aircraft collided and crashed during a training flight at Fernando Air Base in Lipa city, Batangas province, south of Manila, killing all four pilots aboard, the military said on Saturday. The accident happened at about 3:51 p.m. on Friday, October 23, 2026, as the two-seater planes flew at low altitude. The air force called the crash accidental and gave no further details. Two Philippine officials who spoke anonymously said the planes collided in flight. Both aircraft went down inside the base perimeter, and an air force spokesman said no one on the ground was hurt. A witness told The Associated Press that one plane came down near barracks of military personnel. The air force has temporarily grounded its remaining SF-260s, which were acquired from Italy, as a precaution while an investigation determines the cause.

Left-leaning outlets tracked by Crosswire had not reported this story at the time of writing, while right-leaning and alternative/independent outlets had. Among right-leaning outlets, the New York Post headlines the mid-air collision and the death of all four pilots. It relies on the anonymous officials and the AP witness, and it adds context that the underfunded military has long struggled to modernize because of financial constraints, insurgencies and territorial disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea. The Daily Mail instead leads with the "moment" of the crash, building on footage that showed the planes flying alongside at least four others, a burst of smoke and a rapid loss of altitude. It prints the military spokesman's statement, including the time and the grounding, and does not mention budget or geopolitical background. Both agree on the toll, the location, the accidental label, the grounding and the investigation. The alternative/independent Reuters report is a short account of the crash and the four deaths, citing the military.