Air Force training aircraft crashes in China Bay killing pilot and engineer

by Zulfick Farzan 07-08-2023 | 12:02 PM

COLOMBO (News 1st) Two military personnel were reported dead after a training aircraft crashed at the SLAF station in Trincomalee on Monday (7).

Air Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa, the Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force told News 1st that the training aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff.

Director of the Air Force Media Group Captain Dushan Wijesinghe told News 1st that a PT-6 aircraft used for training pilots at the No. 1 Flying Training Wing in China Bay was taken for an Air Test on Monday (7) morning.

The aircraft had taken off at 11:25 AM and crashed at 11:27 AM at the China Bay Sri Lanka Air Force Station.

He confirmed that the pilot and the engineer died in the tragedy.

Air Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa, the Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force had ordered an immediate investigation into the crash, said the Air Force Media Director.