ATHENS, Greece — An F-4 Phantom military aircraft crashed on Saturday, September 5, 2026, at a military base outside Athens during the annual Athens Flying Week airshow.
Greece’s news agency ANA reported the incident, stating that the aircraft carried two pilots whose fates remain unclear alongside the specific circumstances of the accident.
Okay News reports that a journalist from public broadcaster ERT who was at the scene confirmed the aircraft lost altitude suddenly and crashed immediately after takeoff.
An explosion occurred immediately following the crash in front of thousands of visitors attending the event, according to the journalist from public broadcaster ERT.
ERT reported that a fire service helicopter was dispatched to the location to extinguish the blaze caused by the impact.
Greece’s Minister of Defence, Nikos Dendias, cancelled a scheduled trip to Thessaloniki’s International Fair to visit the accident site.
