The Air Force is in deep mourning following the death of the two pilots of the Phantom, which crashed yesterday at noon near Tanagra, resulting in the loss of two experienced officers.
According to reports, the two pilots were highly experienced aviators with the 348th Tactical Air Wing “Ares,” with more than 1,500 flight hours. They had been scheduled to perform a demonstration flight as part of the air show in Tanagra, in front of thousands of spectators.
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Shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, while spectators were waiting to watch the aircraft take off and perform its impressive maneuvers, the F-4 Phantom took off and, about two to three nautical miles from the runway, began to lose altitude rapidly.
Within about a minute, the aircraft made a low-altitude flyby at a steep descent angle and crashed about four kilometers from the takeoff point, in an industrial area between Oinofyta and Dilesi.
Most of the aircraft ended up on the roof of a factory, while debris and metal parts were scattered about 200 meters from the crash site, even landing in the yards, garages, and parking lots of neighboring businesses.
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The two pilots did not have time to eject from the aircraft. According to the information available so far, there was no time to activate the ejection system. At the same time, investigators are examining whether the pilots attempted to steer the aircraft away from residential areas and the crowd gathered at the Tanagra Air Base.
A short time later, firefighters, Armed Forces personnel, and EMAK rescue workers found the two pilots dead.
The crash sparked a major fire, which quickly spread due to strong winds and the flammable materials present at the factory and neighboring businesses. Significant firefighting resources were deployed to the scene. A total of 95 firefighters responded with 29 vehicles, ground crews, and EMAK teams. From the air, firefighting aircraft and helicopters continuously dropped water until late at night. The fire was brought under control late at night, while earlier, a message had been sent via 112 to residents in the area, with authorities urging them to remain on alert and follow the instructions of the relevant agencies.
The crash site was cordoned off by the authorities, and the aircraft’s wreckage was recovered. The findings will be examined by the relevant aviation accident investigation committee.
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Investigators will scrutinize, among other things, video footage from cameras that recorded the fatal flight from different angles, as well as videos taken by eyewitnesses on their cell phones. Investigators will examine, frame by frame, the takeoff, the sudden loss of altitude, and the aircraft’s path until the crash. At the same time, the conversations between the two pilots and the control tower are expected to be particularly significant in determining whether they reported any signs of malfunction or other problems before the crash. All the evidence will be evaluated to form a complete picture of the causes of the aviation tragedy.
However, the moments immediately following the crash were truly nerve-wracking. At first, no one knew exactly where the aircraft had crashed, whether there were workers inside the industrial facilities in the area, or whether bystanders in Tanagra had been injured. The fact that the crash occurred in an industrial area, far from large crowds and residential areas, limited the impact on people on the ground.
Now, the key question is what exactly caused the F-4 Phantom to lose altitude and why the two experienced pilots were unable to eject from the aircraft in time. The answers will come from the investigation by experts, which is already underway.
Source: ertnews
