Türkiye’s Ministry of Defense announced in the early hours of Wednesday that an F-16 fighter jet crashed in the country’s western province of Balkesir, killing the pilot.
The ministry said in an official statement that radio contact and tracking data with the aircraft were lost after it took off from command of the 9th Main Air Base in Balkesir at 12:56 local time (21:56 Tuesday night Japan time).
Emergency search begins and wreckage discovered
Turkish media reports, including on the website turkiyetoday, said search and rescue teams immediately launched a large-scale search operation and that the wreckage of the plane was later found at the accident site. The ministry confirmed that an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash.
“Our heroic pilot was martyred. The cause of the accident will be determined through an investigation by a specialized accident investigation team,” the statement said, expressing condolences to the pilot’s family and relatives.
Revealing the identity of the martyr pilot
Meanwhile, Turkish Defense Minister Yashar Güler announced that the pilot was Air Force Major Ibrahim Porat, who died on February 25, 2026, in a plane crash while carrying out a mission.
In a message of condolence, Guler said: “Our heroic comrade was martyred in the crash of our F-16 plane. We ask God to protect him in His generous mercy.”
Authority and judicial investigation into the circumstances of the incident
In response, Minister of Justice Akin Gorlek announced that the public prosecutor’s office in Balkesir had opened an official investigation into the accident, explaining that the prosecutor, deputy prosecutor, and two prosecutors had moved to the accident scene to follow the procedures at the scene.
Governor Ismail Ustoglu of Balkesir province also confirmed that an aircraft belonging to the 9th Main Base Command Squadron crashed at around 12:50 a.m. during a critical flight.
Turkey’s Interior Ministry said it was closely monitoring the developments and working in full cooperation with the relevant authorities, stressing that the final cause of the accident would be revealed after the completion of a technical investigation carried out by a specialized investigation team.
Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz stressed that the incident would be subject to “careful investigation at both judicial and administrative levels.”
Widespread public condolences
Messages of condolence were received from senior Turkish officials, including Numan Kurtulmus, speaker of the Turkish parliament, and Yevkan Alla, deputy leader of the ruling Justice and Development Party, expressing deep sadness at the pilot’s martyrdom.
“My heart goes out to the martyred heroic pilot, his family, the fans and our honorable people,” Kurtulmus said in a statement.
The cause of the fighter jet crash is still under investigation, but competent authorities are continuing to work to determine the exact circumstances of the accident.
Turkey’s Defense Ministry announced early Wednesday that an *F-16* model fighter jet crashed in Turkey’s western Balkesir province, killing the pilot.
The ministry said in an official statement that radio contact and tracking data by the aircraft were lost after it took off from the 9th Main Air Base Command in Balkesir at 12:56 a.m. local time (9:56 p.m. Tuesday night Japan time).
Initiation of emergency search operations and location of wreckage
Search and rescue teams immediately launched a large-scale search operation, and the wreckage of the plane was later found at the accident site, according to Turkish reports, including the website turkiyetoday. The ministry confirmed that an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash.
“Our heroic pilot has been martyred. The cause of the accident will be determined after an investigation by a specialized accident investigation team,” the statement said, expressing condolences to the pilot’s family and loved ones.
Identification of the martyr pilot
Meanwhile, Turkey’s Defense Minister Yashar Güler announced that the pilot was Air Force Major Ibrahim Porat, who died on February 25, 2026 in a plane crash during a mission.
In his message of condolence, Guler said: “Our heroic military commander was martyred in the crash of an F-16 aircraft. We ask God to accept him in His great mercy.”
Public and judicial inquiries into the circumstances of the case
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdar announced that the Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Balkesir had opened an official investigation into the incident, explaining that the prosecutor, his deputy, and two prosecutors’ staff had traveled to the crash site to follow up on-site procedures.
Balkesir Governor Ismail Ustaoglu also confirmed that an aircraft belonging to the 9th Main Air Base Command crashed at around 12:50 a.m. while on a flight mission.
The Turkish Ministry of Interior reported that it is closely monitoring the development of the situation and working in full cooperation with the relevant authorities, confirming that the final cause of the incident will be determined after the completion of a technical examination by a specialized investigation team.
Meanwhile, Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz stressed that the incident would be subject to a “thorough investigation at both judicial and administrative levels.”
Widespread public condolences
Messages of condolence poured in from Turkish parliament speaker Numan Kurtulmus, deputy leader of the ruling Justice and Development Party Efkan Ara, and other senior officials, expressing deep sadness at the pilot’s martyrdom.
“My heart goes out to the martyred pilot, his family, loved ones and our noble people,” Kurtulmus said in a statement.
The cause of the fighter jet crash is still under investigation, and authorities are continuing to work to determine the exact circumstances of the incident.
