A rift has emerged between the Sri Lanka Air Force and Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Bimal Ratnayake, after the minister made claims regarding the cause of a recent military aircraft crash, contradicting official Air Force statements.
On 21 March 2025, a K-8 advanced jet trainer aircraft, manufactured in China and operated by the Sri Lanka Air Force’s No. 05 Fighter Squadron, crashed during a training exercise in Wariyapola, Kurunegala. Both pilots — a qualified instructor and another Air Force pilot — successfully ejected and were admitted to the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital. No fatalities were reported.
Immediately following the incident, Air Force Commander Air Marshal Bandu Edirisinghe appointed a seven-member special investigation committee to determine the cause of the crash. As of this week, the Air Force has stated that no official findings have been issued.
However, in a move that has since drawn criticism, Bimal Ratnayake, Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation — and a senior figure in the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) — visited the crash site and told reporters that pilot error was to blame. He claimed to have reviewed the report from the Technical Committee and said that the aircraft and the engine were in good condition.
“The pilots of this aircraft were still in training, and an error was made on their part,” Ratnayake claimed.
These remarks, however, were swiftly and publicly contradicted by the Air Force. Its spokesperson, Group Captain Eranda Geeganage, told national television on Tuesday that “the inquiry into the crash is still continuing, and the Air Force is yet to receive the investigative committee report.” Cabinet Spokesperson Nalinda Jayatissa reinforced this position at a briefing the next day, confirming that “as of now, the committee report has not been received.”
The contradiction has embarrassed the Air Force and fuelled allegations that Ratnayake sought to deflect attention from the aircraft itself — a Chinese-manufactured K-8 trainer — by pinning the blame on the pilots, despite the absence of official findings.
A source familiar with trainer aircraft operations told the Sunday Times that Ratnayake’s assertion about trainee pilots being alone in the aircraft was factually incorrect. “The trainer aircraft is always operated under the direct supervision of a trained, qualified instructor,” the source said, adding that pilot training protocols do not permit two trainees to fly alone. The source further speculated that the ejection of both pilots seconds before the crash could indicate a mechanical fault, not human error, and warned against premature conclusions.
Critics have also pointed to Ratnayake’s new appointment as Chair of the Sri Lanka-China Parliamentary Friendship Association — a post he assumed the very night of the crash — as context for his strong defence of the Chinese-built K-8 aircraft. Some have accused the minister of acting hastily to protect Sri Lanka’s defence procurement relationship with Beijing.
Read more from the Sunday Times here and here. Read more from the Air Force here.