A Turkish F-16 fighter jet crashed during a mission flight in the northwestern province of Balıkesir on Feb. 25, killing its pilot, officials reported. Türkiye’s Defense Ministry stated that the cause of the crash will be determined following a technical investigation.

The jet took off from the 9th Main Jet Base Command in Balıkesir and lost radio contact and track data at 12:56 a.m., the ministry said. Search-and-rescue teams later found the wreckage and confirmed that the pilot had been killed, The Caspian Post reports, citing Turkish media.

Governor İsmail Ustaoğlu said the aircraft went down shortly after takeoff during a mission flight. Turkish media reported that the crash site was in the Naipli area of Balıkesir’s Karesi district, and traffic on part of the İstanbul-İzmir highway was temporarily halted as emergency teams worked at the scene.

The Defense Ministry later identified the pilot as Air Pilot Major İbrahim Bolat. Defense Minister Yaşar Güler issued a condolence message following the incident.

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said the Balıkesir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office had opened a judicial investigation into the crash and that senior prosecutors had been dispatched to the site.