Two military pilots died after a Hellenic Air Force F-4 Phantom fighter jet crashed during the prestigious international air show Athens Flying Week 2026. The incident occurred on Saturday, September 5, 2026, at the “Tanagra“ air base, located about 60 kilometers north of the capital Athens. The Greek Armed Forces officially declared three days of mourning in memory of the fallen pilots.
According to official information from the General Staff of the Hellenic Air Force, quoted by world media, 40-year-old Major Ioannis Blesias and 37-year-old Captain Dimitrios Peros died in the incident. The plane, assigned to the 338th Squadron of the 117th Fighter Wing, was performing a maneuver at a critically low altitude. Witnesses told public broadcaster ERT that the plane had only been in the air for about three minutes before it suddenly lost altitude, hit the ground and burst into flames.
The crash occurred in front of thousands of spectators who had come to watch the demonstrations. Fortunately, thanks to the pilots' quick reaction to direct the damaged plane away from the stands and the nearby national road, no civilians or visitors were injured.
The impact caused a large-scale forest fire near the air base. 85 firefighters, assisted by 11 specialized aircraft and a firefighting helicopter, were involved in the operation to contain the fire. The organizers immediately canceled the Athens Flying Week program and evacuated the area.
A special commission is now investigating the exact causes of the tragedy, examining communications with the control tower and recordings from the event's cameras. The F-4 Phantom II fighters have been in service in Greece since the 1970s and are expected to be permanently withdrawn from service by the end of this decade.