A Turkish F-16 that crashed shortly after takeoff had been deployed on a rapid response mission to investigate an unidentified radar contact near the Bulgarian border, the Defense Ministry said Thursday.
During the incident, which took place very early on Wednesday, the pilot tried to eject at the last minute but lost his life in the crash, the ministry said.
"On Feb. 25, after an unidentified radar track was detected on our border with Bulgaria, two F-16 fighter jets took off from ... Balıkesir on an alert response mission," it said of a city 200 kilometers (120 miles) northeast of the coastal city of Izmir.
Unidentified radar tracks are picked up by air traffic surveillance systems and can be caused by a range of issues, from weather conditions to a flock of birds, stray weather balloons or drones.
"Radio communication and radar contact with one of the aircraft was lost at 12:56 a.m. (9:56 p.m. GMT on Tuesday)," it added.
Although the pilot had "activated the ejection system at the very last moment in an attempt to abandon the aircraft," he died in the crash, it said, without giving further details.
The wreckage of the F-16, a Block 50 1993 model, was found during search and rescue operations, with the cause of the incident "to be clarified after a detailed examination by the crash investigation team," it added.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday assured that the authorities have launched a full investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the crash and that all necessary procedures are being carried out by the relevant institutions.
In November, Türkiye suspended flights by its C-130 cargo planes after one crashed in Georgia while returning from Azerbaijan, killing all 20 on board.
Other F-16s, manufactured by U.S. firm Lockheed Martin, have crashed in recent months.
In January, a Taiwanese F-16 crashed into the sea during a routine mission, with its pilot, who ejected, reported missing.
Last August, another F-16 crashed in Poland while rehearsing for an air show, killing its pilot.
