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Turkish F-16D crashes - both pilots killed

March 5, 2005 (by Bjorn Claes) - On Thursday morning (March 3rd, 2005) at 06.30h a Turkish Air Force F-16D from 4 AJÜ went missing over rugged terrain in the North of Turkey. The two pilots aboard are now confirmed to have been killed in this accident.

he F-16D took off from Akinci AB (Murted) in the morning for a training flight when it disappeared from radar screens. At that time it was flying over the town of Yenice, 140 km north of Ankara.

The two pilots, Captain Fatih Devravut and Lieutenant Fatih Keskin, were killed when their aircraft crashed in mountainous terrain 15 kilometres to the south of Karabük in the north of Turkey.

A search and rescue effort was started immediately with helicopters locating the wreckage of the F-16 (86-0191) on Thursday afternoon. Heavy fog, snowfall (50 - 60cm) and the resulting poor visibility in the mountainous region seriously hampering the rescue efforts.

Both pilots were found in close vicinity to the crashed F-16.


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