Pakistani fighter jet crashes during parade rehearsal; pilot killed

March 11 (UPI) -- A Pakistani Air Force pilot was killed Wednesday when his F-16 fighter jet crashed while rehearsing for an upcoming parade in Islamabad, military officials said.

The pilot, identified as Wing Commander Noman Akram, was performing practice runs for the Republic Day parade on March 23 when his jet crashed.

The crash site, in a forested area near Shakarparian Park in the capital, was cordoned off by police and rescue teams.

The Pakistani Air Force said a board of inquiry would be commissioned to investigate the cause. The crash is the fourth this year involving a Pakistani military aircraft on a training mission.

An air force trainer aircraft crashed last month near Mardan, about 90 miles northwest of Islamabad, and a Mirage aircraft crashed in Punjab province a week earlier. No one was injured in either crash.

In January, two Pakistani Air Force pilots were killed during a training mission near a base in Mianwali, 125 miles southwest of Islamabad.