F-16 crashes in Islamabad during parade rehearsal

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani F-16 fighter jet crashed in Islamabad on Wednesday, killing the pilot, during a rehearsal for a national day military parade, officials said. Footage on social media showed a plume of smoke billowing into the sky after the plane hit the ground having apparently attempted a loop. A Pakistani Air Force spokesman said the pilot, Wing Commander Nauman Akram, died in the crash. “Pakistan Air Force reports with regret that a PAF F-16 aircraft crashed near Shakarparian, Islamabad during the rehearsals of 23rd March parade,” the air force said in a statement. The rehearsals were for the annual military parade in Islamabad this month to celebrate Pakistan Day. The F-16 jets are among the most valuable hardware in the Pakistani military’s arsenal and the country has a fleet of about 50 — each worth at least $40 million. Wednesday’s incident comes just months after a fighter jet crashed during a training mission near Mianwali in Punjab province, killing both pilots. In July last year at least 18 people were killed when a small army plane crashed in Rawalpindi. And in 2016, a Pakistan International Airlines plane burst into flames after one of its two turboprop engines failed while flying from remote northern Pakistan to Islamabad, killing more than 40 people. — AFP