A Pakistan air force training aircraft crashed near Mardan city during a routine flight. "The air force command has established an investigation board to determine the cause of the accident," Pakistan's Ministry of Defense announced today.

Two pilots on board the aircraft, one from the navy and one from the Pakistan air force, died in the incident.

Surveillance camera footage released by PressTV shows what is believed to be a Pakistan training aircraft plummeting to the ground, very close to two motorcyclists. Aircraft fuel scattered and ignited, forming a wall of fire in the middle of the road.

Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi stated that three people were injured in the incident, though it is unclear if they were the individuals seen in the video.

According to Pakistani media, the crashed aircraft was a Super Mushshak model, manufactured by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC). It is a light aircraft with two to three seats, equipped with one engine and three fixed, non-retractable landing gears. The aircraft is primarily used for training purposes.

Beyond Pakistan, more than 10 countries use this aircraft model for pilot training, including Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq.

A Super Mushshak aircraft at the Dubai Airshow in 2017. Photo: Wikimedia

This marks the second fatal military aviation accident in Pakistan in less than one week. On 10/6, an army helicopter crashed near Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, killing everyone on board.

Pakistan has not released a specific number of victims, but Reuters, citing security sources, reported that at least 22 people died. The Associated Press also counted 22 coffins draped with Pakistan's national flag at the funeral for the deceased.

Pakistan has a poor military and civil aviation safety record, with frequent accidents involving fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters in recent years, particularly in the northern mountainous region.

Pham Giang (According to AFP, Al Jazeera, Arab News)