Training aircraft crashes in Pakistan

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - A Pakistan Air Force (PAF) aircraft crashed in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday during a training mission, an official statement said.

The crash -- second in less than a week -- took place near Takht Bhai, located some 63 kilometers (39 miles) from Peshawar, the capital of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders neighboring Afghanistan.

"A PAF training aircraft, on a routine training mission, crashed near Takht Bhai today [Wednesday]. The pilot ejected safely," a PAF statement said.

There was no immediate cause cited for the crash.

A board of inquiry was ordered by the air force headquarters to determine the cause of the accident, said the statement.

On Feb. 7, a Mirage aircraft, which too was on a routine operational training mission, crashed near Shorkot town of Punjab. The pilot ejected safely and no loss of life or property was reported on the ground.