PLANE CRASH. The wreckage of the Philippine Air Force's (PAF) SIAI-Marchetti SF-260 trainer/light attack turbo-prop aircraft that crashed in a rice paddy in Barangay Del Rosario, Pilar, Bataan on Wednesday (Jan. 25, 2023). The PAF said it is still confirming reports that the two pilots onboard the plane were killed in the crash. (Photo courtesy of Pilar Municipal Police Station) MANILA - The Philippine Air Force (PAF) on Wednesday confirmed that one of its SIAI-Marchetti SF-260 trainer/light attack turboprop aircraft went down in Bataan as its two pilots were conducting "recurrency training." In a message to reporters, PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo said the plane crashed in Barangay Del Rosario in Pilar town at about 10:34 a.m. "We confirm that it is one of our Air Force aircraft, the SF-260 aircraft (was) from Sangley (Cavite), it was on a 'recurrency training' and that there were two pilots involved. Unfortunately, we cannot give details more than that, the investigation is ongoing," she said in a message to reporters. "Recurrency training" refers to the training given to aircrew members or pilots to be proficient in a particular aircraft. Castillo said the ill-fated aircraft was assigned to the 15th Strike Wing, which is based at the Danilo Atienza Air Base in Sangley Point, Cavite. All SF-260 aircraft in PAF service are grounded while the investigation into the crash is ongoing. "Per our SOP (standard operating procedure), we ground the fleet," she said. Castillo declined to give details on reports that the two pilots aboard the aircraft were killed, saying they were still confirming this information. "Our aircraft was actually (over in) Bataan during the time of the mishap, we have been tracking our military aircraft through 'spidertracks' (an app that allows real-time tracking and flight monitoring) and we lost track of them around 10:34 a.m. today," she said, adding that the SF-260 took off from Sangley Point at about 9:59 a.m. Originally designed as trainers, the PAF configured the SF-260s into light attack aircraft and used it extensively for ground support missions. "Right now, we confirm that there are reports that it crash-landed but our personnel are still to look at the crash and we can provide you with the details as soon as we get official information from on the ground," Castillo added. (PNA) }