Military sources say there is no question of ageing aircraft in the case of the F-4E Phantom that took part in Saturday’s Athens Flying Week 2026

Takeaways

An F-4E Phantom fighter jet crashed in Tanagra on Saturday during the Athens Flying Week 2026 event.

The crash claimed the lives of 40-year-old Wing Commander Ioannis Blesias and 37-year-old Squadron Leader Dimitrios Petrou.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee is examining the causes of the crash through the pilots’ communications, audiovisual material and the wreckage.

Military sources stress that the aircraft was fully maintained and airworthy, and was carrying out a flypast rather than an aerial display.

The leading theories point to mechanical failure caused by a bird strike, or a systems problem brought on by strain during manoeuvres.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee has now been tasked with piecing together the full picture behind Saturday’s crash of the F-4E Phantom fighter jet in Tanagra during Athens Flying Week 2026. Investigators believe the two pilots’ communications with the control tower, the extensive footage captured by dozens of cameras at the airshow, and the recovery of the wreckage will together reveal the fighter jet’s condition in its final moments before the crash.

Colleagues from the 338 Squadron of the 117 Combat Wing are struggling with the loss of the two highly experienced Hellenic Air Force pilots, 40-year-old Wing Commander Ioannis Blesias and 37-year-old Squadron Leader Dimitrios Petrou, while mourning has gripped their home towns. Their families are expected to bid farewell to the two men in the coming hours, with the political leadership of the Ministry of National Defence in attendance.

At the same time, questions are mounting over the causes of the crash, with military sources reporting that the aircraft had undergone all the necessary maintenance and inspection procedures under current Hellenic Air Force protocols and was fully airworthy. Its participation in Athens Flying Week 2026 also involved a flypast rather than an aerial display, with the display itself carried out by the “Zeus” Aerobatic Demonstration Team flying F-16s.

There is therefore no question of the aircraft’s age being a factor, the same sources stress, pointing out that similar events in Greece and abroad feature aircraft from the Second World War, including Spitfires, and even the First World War.

The scenarios

The leading theories, as reported by protothema.gr, are either that a problem occurred in the fighter jet’s systems as a result of the strain placed on it during the manoeuvre carried out during the display, given that this is a bomber with a specific mission profile and capabilities, or that a flock of birds, known to frequent the area, caused mechanical damage to the engines.

Given that the two pilots were extremely experienced, with a great many flying hours between them, the theory of human error is not considered particularly likely. Their extensive experience with this specific type of aircraft meant they had an in-depth understanding of its behaviour under high-G conditions, as well as any structural weaknesses it might exhibit, such as loss of lift.

The questions

Footage documenting the fatal flight shows the aircraft losing altitude sharply while carrying out a right-hand turn. The fact that the pilots did not activate the ejection system is not thought to be unrelated to their attempt to prevent further loss of life, given that the aircraft ultimately crashed near, but outside, Tanagra military airbase.

At the same time, the loss of two valuable Hellenic Air Force personnel during an airshow, rather than in the line of duty, has weighed heavily on morale among flight crews, who are already under considerable strain due to Turkish provocations in the south-eastern Mediterranean. Particularly at a time of intense geopolitical turbulence and regional rivalries, questions are also being raised over the wisdom of granting the use of an active military airbase for airshows, when that base is home to the Rafale fighter jets.