F-16 Fighting Falcon News

December 12, 2016 (by Lieven Dewitte) - A Turkish fighter jet from the 181 Filo crashed after a training mission today. The F-16 was returning to base and attempting to land at a military base in Diyarbakir when it went down around 19.30h.
The pilot from the 181 Filo ejected before the plane went down in a field about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the air base. He was in good health but had been taken to hospital after the crash, which is standard procedure.

The cause of the F-16C block 50 wasn't immediately known but an investigation has been launched. Helicopters were scanning the area around the crash site for any possible ordnance.

Diyarbakir is about 80 miles north of the Syrian border. It is home to the 8th Air Wing (AJÜ 8) of the 2nd Air Force Command.

Diyarbakir is Turkey’s biggest Kurdish-majority city and has seen regular clashes between Kurdish militants and security forces since the collapse of a two-and-a-half year ceasefire in the conflict in July 2015. The base has been used previously for air raids on Islamic State jihadist targets inside Syria and against outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) bases in northern Iraq.