Deep mourning in the Air Force for the two pilots who lost their lives following the crash of the F-4E Phantom II fighter jet, which crashed at noon on Saturday (September 5) in Tanagra during the Athens Flying Week 2026 air show.
READ ALSO: Accident at Athens Flying Week: Phantom Crashes During Airshow (VIDEO) | AlphaNews
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According to reports, the two pilots of the aircraft lost their lives in the accident: Senior Captain Ioannis Blesias, 40, and Captain Dimitrios Petrou, 37.
SEE ALSO: VIDEO: The moment the Phantom crashed during a demonstration at Athens Flying Week | AlphaNews
According to a statement from the Hellenic Air Force General Staff, the F-4E Phantom II of the 338th Squadron of the 117th Fighter Wing crashed at 2:55 p.m., approximately 3 nautical miles southeast of the 114th Combat Wing, while participating in the Athens Flying Week events.
The Air Force announced that the causes of the accident are being investigated by the committee appointed to look into the incident.
“He was an angel”
“My Dimitris… All of us in Pramanta are mourning your untimely death today!!!”: With this post, Nikos Vaitsis, mayor of V. Tzoumerka, conveyed the grief of the local community of Pramanta over the untimely death of Captain Dimitris Petrou, who lost his life in the Phantom crash.
READ ALSO: Tragedy in Greece: The bodies of the two pilots of the Phantom that crashed in Tanagra have been recovered (VIDEO) | AlphaNews
Mr. Vaitsis, visibly shaken, spoke to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA), saying: “Whenever he was about to fly over Pramanta, he would call his elderly grandmother, Mrs. Stathoula, telling her what time to step outside so he could see her and wave to her from the sky…”.
People are in shock in his father’s village, Polystafylo in Preveza, as well. The community president, Konstantinos Karavidas, spoke of mourning throughout the region. “She was an angel… as long as her grandparents were alive, she came here all the time; the village loved her. They are a beloved family. His father is a retired police officer and his mother a retired teacher. He also has a sister…,” he emphasized, revealing yet another tragic aspect of the tragedy. The captain was scheduled to baptize his 5-month-old daughter the following Saturday, September 12, in Katsika, Ioannina, where his parents live.
Three days of mourning in the Armed Forces
Meanwhile, by decision of the Minister of National Defense, Nikos Dendias, three days of mourning were declared in the Armed Forces, from today, Saturday, through Monday, for the loss of the two crew members of the F-4E Phantom II.
In his post, the Minister of National Defense emphasized: The news of the loss of two Air Force pilots in the accident at Athens Flying Week fills us all with the deepest sorrow. Our thoughts at the Ministry of National Defense go out to their families and colleagues, to whom we extend our most sincere condolences.
A timeline of the tragedy
It all happened around 3 p.m. during the Athens Flying Week air show in Tanagra.
Authorities had no indication that the aircraft’s ejection mechanism had been activated. At the crash site, where a fire broke out immediately, two ambulances and two EKAB fire trucks responded right away.
The aircraft crashed shortly after it began its demonstration, while hundreds of people were watching from a close distance. According to the same reports, the aircraft broke in two and caught fire in two different places.
The crowd at the scene was shocked, and event organizers immediately began evacuating the area.
Source: Proto Thema
