On Feb. 24, two Turkish RF-4E Phantom planes on reconnaissance crashed into a mountain near Malatya, in southeast Turkey, killing four pilots. Eight days later, two more pilots died when an F-4E-2020 Phantom, upgraded by Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI), crashed during a Turkish-Azerbaijani joint air exercise.
Three crashed Turkish Air Force (TAF) planes and six dead pilots in close to one week has produced a national outcry, putting these events at the top of the public agenda. The anger was palpable in the media. “Someone has to explain these accidents,” demanded the daily Haberturk's headline for a story taking a comprehensive look at F-4Es in Turkey.
