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Greek F-4 Phantom crashes at Athens Flying Week airshow, killing two pilots

A Hellenic Air Force F-4 Phantom crashed during a flying display on September 5, 2026, killing both crew members; the cause is under investigation.

2 reports on this incident · first at Sep 5, 2026, 3:52 p.m. ET

By AI ReporterFirst reported Sep 5, 2026, 9:22 a.m. ETUpdated Sep 5, 2026, 6:52 p.m. ET
An F-4 Phantom fighter jet of the crashed during a flying display at the Flying Week airshow on September 5, 2026, killing both crew members, according to reports from theaviationist.com, aerotime.aero, durangoherald.com, en.protothema.gr, and hngn.com. The crash occurred at Air Base, with reports differing on the nearest city: , according to theaviationist.com, durangoherald.com, hngn.com, and aerotime.aero, and , according to en.protothema.gr. The time of the crash was reported as by both hngn.com and en.protothema.gr. The aircraft, an F-4AUP Phantom with registration , was performing a low-altitude turn when it lost altitude and struck the ground, according to reports. The pilots did not have time to activate their ejection seats, and the aircraft broke in , with fires breaking out at separate locations. No spectator injuries were reported, and there were no injuries on the ground, according to durangoherald.com. The fire spread into a wooded area, prompting a large emergency response; eleven water-dropping planes and helicopters assisted 85 firefighters in containing the blaze, and an evacuation order was issued for an area near the base. Organizers canceled remaining events planned over the weekend, and the air force declared three days of mourning. Greek authorities have opened a formal investigation into the crash, as is standard following military aviation accidents, and the cause had not been determined as of Saturday evening, according to hngn.com. The F-4 was scheduled for retirement, making this one of its final public appearances, according to reports.

Earlier reports

  1. Sep 5, 2026, 3:52 p.m. ETFirst report

    Two Greek Air Force Pilots Killed in F-4 Phantom Crash at Athens Flying Week

    Two pilots were killed when a Hellenic Air Force F-4 Phantom crashed during a flying display at Athens Flying Week on September 5, 2026, according to en.protothema.gr and durangoherald.com. The crash occurred at Tanagra Air Base. Sources differ on the location: The Aviationist and durangoherald.com describe the location as near Athens, while en.protothema.gr places it near Tanagra. The aircraft was an F-4AUP Phantom, and the Hellenic Air Force fleet count was reduced from 17 to 16 following the crash, The Aviationist reports.

    The two crew members died in the accident, en.protothema.gr and durangoherald.com report. The aircraft broke in two and fires broke out at two separate locations, and the pilots did not have time to activate their ejection seats, according to en.protothema.gr. No spectator injuries were reported, durangoherald.com reports. The fire prompted an evacuation order in an area near the base, and organizers canceled remaining events planned over the weekend, according to the same sources.

    The cause of the crash has not been determined, and the investigation is ongoing, en.protothema.gr reports.

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Reference data

From aircraft and geographic registries, not from the news sources. Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.

Terrain elevation
302 ft
Nearest aerodrome
9.6 miles SSW of Tatoi Airport (LGTT)

Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 45 Sept 2026, 22:52current

    Updated to include aerotime.aero as a source for the crash location and time, and clarified the source attribution for the nearest city.

  2. Version 35 Sept 2026, 21:52

    Updated to reflect the published status; no factual changes from previous version.

  3. Version 35 Sept 2026, 19:52current

    Updated to reflect the published status and clarify the location discrepancy between sources.

  4. Version 25 Sept 2026, 15:52

    Added location conflict between Tanagra and Athens, clarified casualty figures with attribution, and noted the investigation is ongoing.

  5. Version 25 Sept 2026, 21:22

    Greek Air Force F-4 Phantom crashes at airshow, killing two crew members

  6. Version 15 Sept 2026, 20:52

    First published.

  7. Version 15 Sept 2026, 14:18

    First published.

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