A Hellenic Air Force F-4 Phantom crashed north of Athens on Saturday during the Athens Flying Week airshow, burst into flames and killed both pilots. The jet went down during a low-altitude maneuver just meters above the ground at Tanagra air force base, turning a public display into a fatal emergency in front of thousands of spectators.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said his thoughts were with the families of the two pilots who died, calling the loss a reminder of the danger Greece’s aviators face every day while on standby to protect the country’s skies. Vasilis Palmas said he had learned of the death of the two officers of the Hellenic Air Force during the air show at Tanagra Air Base.
The fireball sent a large plume of black smoke over the field, and 11 water-dropping planes and helicopters joined 85 firefighters in putting out the blaze. The area was evacuated, and the bodies of the pilots were eventually recovered. No civilians were hurt, even though the crash happened while the crowd was watching the air show live.
An eyewitness told ERT that everyone was stunned and that the aircraft had not been airborne for more than three minutes. The organizers canceled the rest of the events after the accident, and no further schedule was announced, leaving the crash as the final and defining moment of the day.
