Turkish fighter jet reportedly crashes near Syrian border

PanARMENIAN.Net - Contact with a Turkish F-16 jet fighter that was flying over the Amanos Mountains in the southern province of Osmaniye near the Syrian border was lost on May 13 afternoon, according to Hurriyet Daily News.

"We have received information that the jet crashed in the Yarpuz region of the Amanos Mountains in the direction toward Hatay," Osmaniye Gov. Celalettin Cerrah said.

The pilot sent a message saying "I'm jumping" before radio contact was lost, said a written statement from the Turkish Armed Forces.

The jet, which is based at the 5th Main Jet Command in the northern province of Amasya, was performing a mission flight over the area.

A search and rescue mission to locate the pilot and the debris is continuing, Gov. Cerrah said.

A Turkish military plane was shot down off of Syria’s Mediterranean coast by Syria in June 2012, leaving two soldiers dead.