Two pilots were martyred when a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) trainer aircraft crashed near Mardan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). The military's media wing stated that the PAF trainer aircraft, which was on a routine training sortie, crashed in the vicinity of Mardan. As a result, both pilots on board, Flight Lieutenant Muhammad Qasim Abdullah of the Pakistan Air Force and Lieutenant Taha Abbasi of the Pakistan Navy, embraced Shahadat.
The ISPR said that a board of inquiry has been constituted by Air Headquarters to ascertain the cause of the accident. Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Staff, along with the Services Chiefs and all ranks of the Pakistan Armed Forces, expressed deep grief over the tragic loss of precious lives and extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.
Earlier, on June 10, 2026, an Mi-17 helicopter of Pakistan Army Aviation crashed near Muzaffarabad during take-off due to a technical fault. All personnel on board embraced Shahadat, and there were no survivors. A board of inquiry was ordered to ascertain the exact technical cause of the accident.
