PH Air Force grounds FA-50 fighter jet fleet following mountain range crash

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) grounded its fleet of FA-50 fighter jets following a mountain range crash that killed two of its pilots.

The FA-50 was first reported missing on March 4, 2025 after it disappeared during an overnight tactical operation.

A search and rescue operation was deployed, and the FA-50 was found on March 5, 2025 crashed in the Kalatungan mountain range in Bukidnon province. The crash site is located some 380 kilometers south of Benito Ebuen Air Base (CEB) in Mactan, Cebu, where the fighter jet was supposed to have landed.

Lt.Col. Salvacion Evangelista, spokesperson for the Eastern Mindanao Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said in a press briefing that the aircraft was found at around 09:00 local time. Evangelista also confirmed that the bodies of the two pilots were found near the aircraft.

Evangelista said the wreckage was found at the top of Mount Kalatungan, which has an elevation of 9,450 feet (2,880 meters). 

The PAF grounded its remaining 11 FA-50 jets while an investigation into the cause of the crash is underway.

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