Date : 15/04/2009
ANKARA, April 15 (KUNA) -- A Pilot and copilot went missing when their
military jetfighter, F4, crashed in the remote area of Berkshire, western
Turkey during a routine training sortie last night.
Rescuers fanned out the area, however, no traces of the crew were found,
only the planes' wreckage which was scattered on a wide-scaled area, Turkish
Sky News quoted the Governor of Berkshire, Selahattin Hatipo as saying.
The pilot and his assistant may have landed using parachute, and the
rescuers could not reach them due to darkness, Hatipo added.
The reason which led to the plane's crash is yet unknown; however, it could
be the result of a technical failure especially that this kind of planes has
been used in the Turkish air force for four decades.
The recurrent F-4 plane collisions in Turkey are mostly due to technical
failures. The Turkish air force halted upgrading these planes due to high
costs and its inconvenience to modern combat. (end)
mm.mar
KUNA 151025 Apr 09NNNN