Turkish F-16 Pilot Steered From Highway Before Crash

An F-16 assigned to the 191st “Kobra” Squadron at Balıkesir’s 9th Main Jet Base crashed at 00:49, just three minutes after takeoff, during an emergency mission to monitor the Greek airspace boundary. 

The aircraft came down near Naipli village, close to the İstanbul–İzmir highway, in heavy rain. 

Officials say the jet struck the ground approximately 10 meters short of the roadway after a last maneuver intended to avoid civilian traffic.

The pilot, Air Force Major İbrahim Bolat, was killed. 

According to officials, he attempted to maintain control until the final seconds, steering the aircraft away from the highway. 

The crash site’s proximity—measured in meters rather than kilometers—has become central to the official account of the incident.

Authorities indicated that Bolat ejected moments before impact, but at an altitude too low for the parachute to fully inflate. He is described as having remained with the aircraft as long as possible. 

The İstanbul–İzmir highway is a major artery carrying dense traffic even at late hours. 

At 00:49, vehicle flow would likely have been lighter than peak periods, but not absent.

The difference between a crash onto the roadway and one 10 meters short could have meant secondary casualties and infrastructure damage.

Preliminary assessments cited possible “uçucu vertigosu,” or spatial disorientation, a condition that can impair a pilot’s perception of altitude and orientation, especially in night and adverse weather operations. 

The sortie occurred under heavy rainfall and within 3 minutes of takeoff, a phase of flight that already compresses workload and decision time.

The Balıkesir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office assigned 1 chief prosecutor, 1 deputy chief prosecutor and 2 prosecutors to the scene. 

A military ceremony followed at the 9th Main Jet Base, attended by Air Force Commander General Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu. Two F-16s conducted a flyover. 

Bolat, survived by his wife and 10-year-old daughter, was buried in İzmir after funeral prayers.

The investigation will determine the precise sequence of control inputs, altitude data and system performance in the final seconds. 

What is established in the official account is the proximity: 3 minutes airborne, 00:49 departure, and impact roughly 10 meters short of a major highway—where officials say the pilot tried to steer the F-16 away from traffic.