APakistani military training aircraft crashed near Mardan in the country’s northwest on Monday, killing both pilots on board. The accident marks the second military aviation disaster in Pakistan in less than a week.
According to a statement issued by the military’s media wing, a Pakistan Air Force trainer aircraft on a routine training sortie went down near Mardan. The aircraft was carrying two pilots, one from the Air Force and the other from the Navy, both of whom were killed in the crash.
The military did not disclose the type of aircraft involved.
“A board of inquiry has been constituted by Air Headquarters to ascertain the cause of the accident,” the statement said.
The latest crash comes days after a Pakistan Army Mi-17 helicopter crashed near Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-administered Kashmir during take-off, killing all personnel on board. The military has attributed the accident to a suspected technical fault and said an inquiry has been ordered to determine the exact cause.
Military air crashes in the last 5 years
Pakistan has witnessed several military helicopter and aircraft accidents in the last five years recent years, particularly in its mountainous northern regions, raising recurring concerns over aviation safety and maintenance.
In September 2025, a Pakistan Army helicopter on a routine mission crashed in the country’s northern region, killing two pilots and three technicians, according to the Associated Press.
Just a month earlier, in August 2025, a helicopter operated by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government went down in Mohmand district amid adverse weather conditions, claiming the lives of two pilots and three crew members, PTI reported.
One of the country’s deadliest recent military aviation accidents occurred in August 2022, when a Pakistan Army helicopter lost contact during a flight in Balochistan. Its wreckage was discovered a day later in the Lasbela district, according to Pakistani daily Dawn.
The following month, another military helicopter crashed during a flying mission near Khost in Balochistan’s Harnai district, killing six army personnel, including two majors.
In December 2021, two pilots were killed when an Army Aviation helicopter crashed. A year earlier, four Pakistani military personnel lost their lives after a helicopter carrying out a casualty evacuation mission went down due to technical reasons.
Pakistan has also witnessed major helicopter disasters beyond the five-year period. In 2015, a military helicopter crashed near Mansehra in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing all 12 people on board.
With investigations underway into both last week’s helicopter crash and Monday’s trainer aircraft accident, authorities are expected to examine whether technical failures played a role in the latest tragedy.