NOWSHERA/ISLAMABAD - Two training aircraft of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) crashed after a mid-air collision, killing four pilots on board and a civilian, while injuring 10 others in Nowshera district on Thursday.The ill-fated Mashaq planes were on a flight formation training mission when they collided over the Rashakai area. The aircraft wreckage also destroyed two houses - one at Madani Mohalla and the second at Mayar Mohalla - in Rashakai village.The planes took off from the PAF Academy Risalpur and were about to make landings on their way back when they collided just two to three kilometres away from the runway situated inside the Risalpur Academy. The officials, in technical terms, declared the crash as a case of ‘close formation’.“They (PAF officers) were about to land when they got caught in close formation leading to the fatal incident,” officials said, adding that initial assessments pointed to some technical fault. “A board of inquiry has been ordered to determine the cause of accident, “ A PAF statement said.According to eyewitnesses, the wings of the airplanes collided with each other, setting them on fire, which caused the crash, killing two pilots, two co-pilots and a civilian.The pilots, who lost their lives in the crash, were: squadron leaders Syed Masood Rizvi (Haripur), Moazzam Ali (Faisalabad) and Syed Zaigham Abbas (Karachi), and flight lieutenant Mustafa Shahid (Lahore), who was undertraining.At least 10 civilians, including women and women, also sustained injuries, who are identified Musa Khan, Farhan, Fatima Bibi, Shahida Bibi, Tufail, Taj Mohammad, Niaz Mohammad, Mumlikat, Zaibunnisa and Pir Mohammad. The injured were rushed to local hospitals and most of them were stated to be in stable condition.Moreover, two houses were completely damaged and some partially in the tragic crash.Soon after the incident, police and locals recovered the bodies of four pilots from debris. Law enforcement agencies cordoned off the area and people began rescue efforts, while Peshawar-Nowshera Highway was closed down for all traffic.Talking to TheNation, District Police Officer (DPO) Mardan Danishwar Khan said Mardan and Nowshera police were jointly working in coordination with the PAF authorities to remove wreckage from a the residential rural area.The Thursday incident is the seventh in the last as many months involving the PAF planes supposedly due to technical faults. Eight PAF aircrafts have been crashed with at least as many causalities since October last year. The previous air crashes were reported on May 11, February 8, January 25, January 17, November 14 and October 19 (last year).The destroyed aircrafts included Chinese manufactured Mashaq, JF-17 Thunder, Mirage and F-7 PG.This month’s earlier aircraft crash had taken place near Somiani, Karachi, in which the pilot remained safe. The deceased officers included flying officers, flight lieutenants, squadron leaders, wing commanders and even an air commodore.Air Commodore Asim was killed in the October 19, 2011 air jet crash that had taken place near Lasbela in Balochistan.