Fighter jet F-16 crashed in Turkey: one person killed

In the Turkish province of Balıkesir, an F-16 fighter jet that had taken off from the 9th Air Base crashed. One military servicemember was killed as a result of the tragic incident.

This was reported by BAKU.WS with reference to the Haber Global television channel.

According to information from the Governor of Balıkesir Province, Ismail Ustaoğlu, the incident occurred at approximately 01:00 local time (02:00 Baku time).

It became known that the aircraft crashed on a section of the İzmir–Istanbul highway passing through the territory of the village of Naifli. Traffic on this stretch of road was halted in both directions. Numerous fire service units and emergency medical teams were dispatched to the crash site.

The Turkish Ministry of National Defense stated that radio contact with the F-16 fighter was lost at 00:56 local time, after which the aircraft disappeared from radar screens. An investigation into the causes of the crash is currently underway.

Qalereya

🔴 Balıkesir 9. Ana Jet Üssü Komutanlığı filosuna ait F-16 uçağı görev uçuşu esnasında 00:50 sıralarında kaza kırıma uğradı.

1 pilotumuz şehit oldu. 🇹🇷

- Balıkesir Valiliği
https://t.co/PIBjvCNkre

— VoW (@voiceofworldco) February 24, 2026

SON DAKİKA: Balıkesir’de F-16 uçağının düştüğü ilk anlar böyle görüntülendi. pic.twitter.com/NSW3U17TQs

— Pusholder (@pusholder) February 25, 2026