Athens Air Show Tragedy: Greek Fighter Jet Crashes During Stunt, Two Pilots Killed

Two pilots died when a Greek Air Force twin-seat Phantom F-4 jet crashed during a low-altitude manoeuvre at an annual air show north of Athens on Saturday.

Thousands of spectators at the Athens Flying Week witnessed the crash at Tanagra Air Force Base, situated 60 kilometres north of the capital. Authorities confirmed that no spectators suffered injuries in the incident.

Air Force officials located the bodies of both aviators during a rescue operation. A fire broke out at the site shortly after the crash, sending large plumes of black smoke into the sky and initially hampering search efforts.

Eighty-five firefighters, assisted by 11 water-dropping planes and helicopters, contained the blaze at a safe distance from the public viewing area. The fire also prompted an evacuation order in an area adjacent to the military base.

Tragedy Strikes Athens Flying Week

Eyewitnesses reported seeing the aircraft crash shortly after takeoff. "We were all stunned. It hadn't been airborne for more than three minutes," an eyewitness told public broadcaster ERT. Video footage captured a plume of smoke rising from the impact point, followed by a second, larger explosion nearby as the plane broke apart.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed grief over the tragedy, describing it as a reminder of the daily dangers faced by the country's aviators. Cypriot Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas also contacted his Greek counterpart, Nikos Dendias, to offer official condolences.

Following the crash, organisers cancelled all remaining events scheduled for the weekend, and the Greek Air Force declared three days of mourning.