Two Philippine Air Force SF-260 Planes Collide in Training Flight, Killing Four Pilots

Two Philippine Air Force SF-260 training aircraft collided at low altitude and crashed at Fernando Air Base in Lipa city, Batangas province, south of Manila, killing all four pilots aboard, officials said Saturday. The crash happened Friday, October 23, 2026, at 3.51pm, the air force said, calling it an accident without giving further details. Both planes came down inside the base perimeter, and an air force spokesman said no one else was hurt. A witness told The Associated Press one two-seater fell near military barracks. Two officials speaking anonymously said the planes collided in flight. The air force grounded its remaining SF-260s, which were acquired from Italy, while an investigation determines the cause.

Right-leaning outlets and one alternative outlet had reported the story, while left-leaning outlets tracked by Crosswire had not covered it at the time of writing. The New York Post offers a wire-style account built on anonymous officials and the AP witness, and adds context on the underfunded military's struggle to modernize amid insurgencies and South China Sea tensions. The Daily Mail headlines the moment of collision, stressing video that showed the planes flying with at least four others, a burst of smoke and fast loss of altitude, and it reproduces the air force statement mourning the pilots; the available excerpt has no budget context. Both agree on four deaths, the accident label, the grounding and the investigation. The South China Morning Post largely mirrors the Post's opening. Because left-leaning outlets have not reported it, no left-right comparison is possible.