The crash occurred at about 10:30 a.m., when a Mushshak trainer, serial number 1234, skidded off the runway at Nawan Killi airstrip and plunged into a ravine.
This is the third fatal crash involving a Pakistan Army aircraft in the past year. Earlier in June, a Mi‑17 helicopter crashed on take‑off near Muzaffarabad, killing all nine crew, and in September, a helicopter fell in Gilgit‑Baltistan, claiming five lives.
ISPR spokesperson Major General Arif Qureshi said rescue teams reached the site within twenty minutes and that the aircraft’s flight data recorder is being retrieved for analysis. The inquiry will focus on the technical fault that precipitated the loss.
The loss rattled the 120‑strong training squadron. Farhan, a 19‑year‑old trainee on the flight list, said, “I felt a chill in the air after the crash; I’ve never seen a plane fall like that.” The army will hold a memorial service on Tuesday, and the inquiry report is expected by the end of the month.