Deep mourning has engulfed Pyrgos and Epitalio following the tragic news of the death of First Lieutenant (I) Ioannis Blesias, who lost his life when the F-4E Phantom of the 338th Squadron, 117th Combat Wing, Andravida, crashed in Tanagra.
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The 40-year-old pilot and 37-year-old First Lieutenant Dimitrios Petrou from Patras did not survive the crash of the fighter jet, which crashed at noon on Saturday during the Athens Flying Week 2026 air show.
The news of Yiannis Blesias’s death plunged his hometown into mourning. He was the only son of Alkis and Nantia Blesias; his father had served as a technician in the 117th Fighter Wing, and his mother worked as an English teacher.
Yiannis Blesias had started his own family. He was married to pharmacist Roula Kyriakopoulou, with whom he had a son just five years old.
A man full of energy
Those who knew him describe him as an active, cheerful man with a passion for life. He grew up in Pyrgos and, from a young age, was deeply involved in sports and the activities he loved.
He had played soccer for Olympiacos Lampetiou and Pegasos Prasino, following in the athletic footsteps of his father, who had played for Alfeios Epitaliou.
He also loved kitesurfing, cycling, motorcycles, and any activity that gave him a sense of freedom. People close to him describe a man who loved his family, his friends, and above all, the skies—which he had chosen as his career path.
Olympiacos Lampetios’s post
Pegasus Prasinou’s post
Fate, however, decreed that he would breathe his last breath where he spent much of his life: in the skies.
His death has deeply moved the Hellenic Air Force, as well as everyone who knew him in Elis. Yiannis Blesias, as reported by those who stood by his side, left a powerful legacy in just 40 years of life.
Source: PROTO THEMA
